Children of Waves and Storms
by Color-de-la-Musica
Summary: DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1: Life's Changing

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Hiya! Watersoul here! I'm very glad that you took the time to even look at this! I promised a summary, didn't I? Well, here goes... the full summary!

**Summary:**_** Safyra was a normal person, despite her little "gangster" background. She was one of the most well known perople in Acmetropolis for her singing and dancing skills, along with her great kindess towards others. Her best friend, Chandani, had a similar background like hers. They live in a forest town on the very edges of Acmetropolis. When a meteor struck them when they were too paralyzed with pain to move on the way home, they were granted powers they couldn't have even dreamed of having. When the return home, disaster hits them hard, and they come to live with the Loonatics by Zadavia's help. When they become closer to the Loonatics, will they fall for Ace and Tech? What will happen when the find out more of their families' history? Will they choose to forces of good? Or will darkness overcome their hearts? AceOC, TechOC, and later on LexiOC, and RevOC!**_

**Author's Note: Lexi and Ace are cousins in this story! I think they should get together, but that can happen in the real world. In this world, they're related! **

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******__****Chapter 1**

_**"Life's Changing"**_

* * *

A silver and white rabbit walked through the streets of Acmetropolis, enjoying the unusual peacefulness of the city. Her light brown hair and ice-blue eyes both gleamed in the sunlight. She wore a white shirt that had sleeves up to her elbows, the sleeves and neck a very light blue, and also baggy black pants. Everyone who she saw greeted her, and she, of course, greeted them back with a wave of her gloved hands. Her gloves were thin grey ones, and she had cut the fingers off, so they were free. She stopped abruptly when she heard music playing, but smirked as she recognized who it was. As she walked on, the step of her red sneakers had a happy bounce to it while she listened to the beat. She then saw some people gathered in an alleyway listening to a radio. The alleyway was lit by the bright daylight of the sun, and she was able to recognize who they were. The rabbit smirked, "You guys wanna dance?" she asked, challenging anyone who was willing.

One of them, another rabbit, stepped forward. He was her best friend, a brown rabbit with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The rabbit shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"Don't count on winning, dude," said the silver female. She suddenly began to dance to the music. She was dancing remarkably well. The song was one of her favorites. It was called, "La Gasolina," an old but still good song in 2773. It was called "reggaeton" music, and that was one of her favorite genres. She was known as one of the best well-known people in Acmetropolis. Mainly it was her dancing and music skills, and also, her kindness to everyone and her will to always be able to help. As she finished her very impressive dance, she motioned for her friend to do his turn.

"I'll say the same to you," said the brown male. He wore an orange shirt with baggy blue jeans. He did a good dance as well, but the silver rabbit had beaten him hands-down.

A few more rounds progressed, and the two opponents were having people gather around them. Some rooted for the brown one, but most rooted for the silver one.

* * *

A gray and white rabbit, accompanied by his cousin, a golden-beige and white rabbit, were running errands for their friends in the city. Their friends were somewhere else, but they didn't care where. It had been quite a while since the two had had some hanging out time, just cousin-to-cousin. And to be out of the uniforms they had to wear. It felt nice to wear normal clothes again. He was wearing a red blazer with yellow horizontal stripes on the sleeves, beige cargo pants, and white sneakers. His cousin was wearing an orange jumper, blue boot-cut jeans, and white sneakers.

The golden-beige rabbit cocked an eyebrow as they saw a black duck run up to them, "Guys, you gotta see this!"

Now it was the gray rabbit that cocked his eyebrow, "What for, Duck?"

"Ace, it's amazing!" said Danger Adish Duck. "Some guys are putting on a street-dance show! They really got skills!"

Ace Saber Bunny looked at is cousin, Alexis Celerina Bunny, or Lexi, to see what her opinion was. She shrugged and made her gentle smile, "Don't see why we shouldn't."

Ace smiled and nodded, "Alright. Lead the way, Duck!"

"Finally, I get to _lead_ something," he heard Duck mutter. The duck led them quickly to an alleyway where a large crowd was gathered around, awing at whatever Duck wanted to show them so badly. Duck grasped the two rabbits' shoulders and he teleported them to the front of the crowd, where the rest of their team was watching the opponents. A coyote, a roadrunner, and a Tasmanian devil were all gaping.

"That girl looks pretty good," Tech Ekram Coyote, a brown coyote, mused.

Ace directed his attention to the silver female that Tech mentioned. He was right; the girl had excellent moves. She seemed to know what kind of move to make at the exact moment. She was rather pretty too. _Very _pretty.

"Yo, drool-face!" he heard Lexi's voice call. "Enough fantasies!"

Ace blushed, sending the others in a fit of laughter. The battle-dance was soon over. One of the other people in the alleyway, a pretty white wolf with green eyes and short brown hair, who was wearing a light gray tank top and snug blue jeans, took the silver female's hand and raised it up.

"And the winner is: Safyra Linat!" she announced. A wild applause erupted through the crowd, giving Ace the message that this Safyra character was very popular.

_And just about the most beautiful girl I've ever seen,_ he found himself thinking again. His crystal blue eyes saw the silver rabbit staring at him gently with her ice-blue eyes, her long, silky, wavy light brown hair gently flowing in the wind in its ponytail. They locked eyes for a few moments, but then Duck said, "Ace, c'mon! Back to the tower!" Ace still stared at Safyra still stared as he walked away. She still stared at him. _Safyra Linat… _he thought, smiling slightly, _a beautiful name for a beautiful girl._

* * *

Lexi saw her cousin staring at the rabbit, and smirked before thinking in a sing-song voice, _Looks like Ace's been bitten by the love-bug._ She then looked to her left, and saw Tech staring at the wolf, the same look as Ace on his face. _Oh…_two _of us have been bitten by the love-bug._ She looked at the silver rabbit they called Safyra, and then the wolf, _They both are really pretty. Prettier than me, I'll wager._ She walked on with the team, until Ace and Tech finally had to tear their eyes away from the two.

* * *

Safyra Amadi Linat was astonished as the crowd dispersed. Ace Bunny, _the_ Ace Bunny, had seen her dancing!! She had always been an admirer of him, but very people knew that. If that secret ever got out, she would be sure to brutally kill the person who slipped it out. Then her excitement got the better of her. "Oh, God! Ace Bunny saw me!" she exclaimed, somewhat unnecessarily. Her best friend, the brown rabbit, Dolyn Bernard Jacobs, was smirking, but Safyra could see some jealous glint in his eyes. She knew the smirk was for the exclamation of Ace, but she wondered what was with the jealousy. "Good game, Dolyn!" she said cheerfully, hoping to change the subject.

"Yeah, you too, Tsunami," said Dolyn, using one of her three nicknames.

Safyra looked up at the sky. It would be about four now. She had to get home. "Well, see you guys later!!" she said, waving goodbye and walking.

"Wave!" called a voice, making Safyra stop and turn around. "Wait up!" It was the white wolf, another one of Safyra's best friends, Chandani Flytah Juryssa running up to her. She had said yet another one of Safyra's nicknames, the one that she usually used for her. The only nickname that hadn't been said yet was "Ice." Chandani smiled as she finally caught up, "Is it okay if I come too? My house isn't that far from yours, y'know."

Safyra smiled and shrugged, "Don't see why not, Moonbeam." Safyra had called Chandani by one of her three nicknames as well. She usually used "Moonbeam." The other two were "Snow" and "Storm." Chandani gave her a grateful smile and the two friends walked onwards, mostly in silence. Today seemed like just a day to enjoy the sites. They lived in nice houses just on the outskirts of Acmetropolis. Their neighborhood was nearby the forests, and the grand park. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, and the blue sky was growing darker and darker, having a blood-red tint to it. They ran as fast as they could towards the park, hoping to get to their homes faster. They weren't pleased of what they saw. People burst out of the park frantically, shouting, "METEOR!! METEOR!!"

Safyra squinted up at the sky, only to have her eyes widen at what she saw.

It wasn't just _one big_ meteor.

It was a whole _meteor shower._ And with _big_ _meteor__**s**_, at that.

For some strange reason, Safyra didn't run. She didn't even feel fear. She was just staring at the falling rocks, her ice-blue eyes narrowing.

Chandani, to her own shock, didn't feel anything either.

Safyra felt a sense of wanting to help, and she had the feeling Chandani was feeling the same way. Her ice-blue eyes began to dart in all directions, and she saw a group of kids trapped in a large wall if flames. There was about five of them. "Chandani! Look!" she cried, pointing.

Chandani made a small gasp, taking sight of the trapped children. "Crap," she muttered darkly, gritting her teeth together.

"Let's go!" Safyra ordered, and the duo took off. They ran at breakneck speed, pushing past many civilians who were calling them crazy for going the other direction. As they were yards away, Safyra's eyes widened.

The flames were spreading through the park. Fast. _At that rate,_ she thought worriedly, _they'll be able to reach home…_

* * *

Just as soon as the Loonatics had finished putting their bags away in the tower, the alert sounded. Everyone stopped what they were doing, changed into their armor as quickly as possible, and headed over to the briefing room.

The holographic form of Zadavia appeared before the, her eyes showing a flicker of worry. That was unusual. "Loonatics, there's been a meteor shower happening in Acmetropolis. The most chaotic area is the park. See this," and image appeared in front of them. A ring of fire was surrounding five distressed children. Ace saw two other teenaged figures outside the ring. Zadavia had the image zoomed in.

Ace and Tech gasped.

It was Safyra. And the white wolf.

"These two are very brave. They're planning to save the trapped children, but the others in the park need help. Loonatics, I'm counting on you. Good luck. Zadavia out," Zadavia said, and was gone, the image of the ring and Safyra and her companion still present.

Ace was worried. He didn't want Safyra to get hurt. At all. "Loonatics, move out! NOW!" The team nodded, and they sped out on their jetpacks.

* * *

_I'm really gonna regret this,_ Safyra thought as she stepped back, Chandani following suit. She narrowed her eyes, calculating everything, and ran towards the flame with remarkable speed. A meteor was heading right for her. She dodged it just as it was about to hit. She was about to jump anyways, so the meteor had helped her pick up air. She did a perfectly executed double back flip, and landed gracefully on her feet. Instantly she felt the heat of the flames. She turned to face the ring, and cupped a hand over her mouth, "Chandani, JUMP!!"

* * *

Ace gasped as he was floating in the air, his team imitating him. He had just seen Safyra run, dodge a meteor, and jump over the large flames with no problem at all.

"Whoa!" Lexi exclaimed, her green eyes widening, "Even I couldn't do that!"

Ace, not even paying attention, nodded. He saw the wolf jump over as well, the same way Safyra had. Run, meteor nearly hits her, dodge, jump with a double back flip, and land. "Guys! Move out! Get the people to shelter!" The team nodded and split up. Ace dove down, wanting to help Safyra.

* * *

Safyra smirked as Chandani made it over the wall of fire. She went to the children. She took one of their hands, and said, "Hang on! I'll get you out!"

Before she could, a black-and-yellow blue landed in the circle.

Ace.

"Thought you might need some help," he said with a smirk. Safyra had no time for a celebrity showing off; she just had to save the kids.

Safyra nodded, and gently brought another child to him. "We need all the help we can get. Thank you." She brought the child she was with closer to her. It was a young girl, probably about seven. "Hang on," Safyra said gently as she held her close, and jumped over the wall of fire. She set the girl down. "Run, hurry!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" the girl piped up, and then ran as fast as she could out of the park.

Safyra nodded, and saw a shadow casting over her. It was dangerously close. She turned to see a meteor heading right for her. She wouldn't be able to dodge it this time. Once it hit either her or the surface, she was as good as dead. The rabbit screamed in fear, and closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

But it never came. Safyra felt lighter, like she was nothing but air. She opened her eyes, and they met with a pair of crystal blue ones.

Ace had saved her.

"You alright?" Ace asked.

Safyra nodded and a small smile spread across her face. "I…I am now…thank you so much." She looked at the ring of fire, "The kids! Are-"

"Your friend and I got them out," Ace interrupted as he dodged a meteor. Safyra saw how much effort it took from him. She was weighing him down, despite her light weight. She couldn't let that happen. He might get killed. Acmetropolis couldn't afford losing such an illustrious hero.

"Look, I'll go help Chandani, there might be some other kids in trouble," Safyra said. "And you shouldn't be focusing on us. Go help the others." She wriggled out of his grip, and did an almost suicidal jump towards the ground. The wind would have probably muffled her voice to say anything, but Safyra managed to shout, "We'll be fine! I promise! Good luck!" before she landed skillfully on the ground, one foot more forwards than the other. Chandani jumped next to her, and the duo took off.

* * *

From his place in the air, Ace saw that the meteors had subsided for a while, but he knew that they'd be back soon. He stared admiringly at Safyra and the wolf she had called Chandani. They had more bravery than any person he had ever known. He was worried about them, but he had the feeling they would be alright. He hoped his feeling was correct.

"Ace!" Lexi's cry came from the air. She was across the park, but she was carrying a civilian above the trees. "Help us!"

Ace nodded, and zoomed over to his team, but sneaking in a few backwards glances as he did so.

* * *

Safyra and Chandani were weaving through the fire in the park, searching for any people that would be trapped. They didn't see any. It was considerably a good thing, since the shower had paused a while ago. But there were some negatives. Safyra felt that there was a good chance she would pass out to the hot of the fire. She had never felt this affected by heat before; fire didn't bother her at all, normally. She was about to ask Chandani was what wrong when an unknown force crashed down on her, and she was hit with searing pain. Unbeknownst to Chandani, she fell to her knees, cringing.

Chandani didn't feel so well either. She looked weak and frail and she was hardly running or walking now, usually stumbling over her own feet. "This heat is unbearable," she remarked bitterly, her short brown hair clinging to her sweaty white fur. "We should get outta here before we kill ourselves." When she received no answer, she looked around. Where was her friend…? "Safyra!" she cried as she saw her friend painfully on her knees. She ran over and put a hand on Safyra's shoulder as she knelt down, "Safyra, are you alright!?"

"Could be…better…" Safyra whimpered. She hugged her sides painfully, "Could…could you…" her statement was interrupted when she shrieked as a burst of pain ran through her. She was lying in a ball on the grass now. "I need the lake. Hurry…the fire… I need…water…" Her ice-blue eyes widened in pain. _What's happening to me…?_

Chandani had an idea of what her best friend was talking about. Safyra had always been drawn to the ocean or water in general. But the fire affecting her this way was odd. Just scarily odd. "The…the dock, you mean?"

"Yes…Just get me there! Please, Chandani!!" Safyra begged, her voice twisted with anguish and pain.

Chandani nodded, and helped her friend up, getting her onto her back. "Hold on, Wave…" she murmured, suddenly filled with determination and energy. She sprinted towards the direction of the dock. Chandani had always been a very fast runner. That was what she was known for. She felt six blurs fly overhead. She looked up. "The Loonatics…" she whispered, hoping rising up inside her, "Loonatics! Help, please! My friend's hurt!!"

Yellow and green blurs zoomed towards her. Tech E. Coyote and Ace Bunny appeared before them, soon followed by the other Loonatics. At the sound of Safyra's anguished cries, Ace stepped forwards.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure," said Chandani, flashing a glance at Tech. She had always had a small crush on him, and meeting him face-to-face was like heaven. Clearing her thoughts, she opened her mouth to continue, but words didn't come out. Pain had suddenly rushed through her, and she shrieked, crashing onto the ground, Safyra falling down next to her. While writing in pain, the wolf managed to scream "THE DOCK!!"

* * *

Ace was worried sick. Safyra was in horrible pain, as was Chandani. He looked at Tech, "You heard her. The dock. Now." Tech nodded, and scooped up Chandani, while Ace picked up Safyra. He sent a signal to his team, and they nodded, and took off. He looked down at the anguished form of Safyra, staring down worriedly at her. "Please, please make it…" he whispered.

"The dock!" Rev Hector Runner said.

Ace noticed that his voice wasn't in high speed as usual, but shrugged it off for the moment and dove down. He had to get there fast. When he landed, he and Tech set the girls down. Safyra crawled up, and got onto the shore. A content smile whipped across her face. Wind was starting to pick up where they were, and Chandani sighed with relief. The two strange girls delicately sat up, hugging their knees to their chests. "Thank you…" both murmured.

"Ace! A meteor's coming, and fast!" said Rev worriedly. The other Loonatics looked up, their eyes widening as they realized the roadrunner's cry was true. They'd fry up in a matter of seconds if they didn't make it out in time.

Ace was about to reach for Safyra. She weakly pushed her hand away. "No." The young rabbit looked up, her ice-blue eyes boring into his. "Leave us here. Now. Go. Save yourselves." She made a weak but still pretty smile, "We'll be fine…"

Ace was about to object, but Lexi put a hand on his shoulder. He glared at her, but she calmly shook her head. "I don't think so, Ace. She'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I…I just am…"

Ace nodded, trusting his cousin, and took off, the team following, leaving the two girls behind. _Please, please, be alright…_

* * *

Safyra and Chandani watched calmly as the meteor was nearing. For some reason, they still didn't feel afraid. Only waiting. Safyra looked at her, smiling only a little bit more than she had before with Ace. "Hang on, Moonbeam…" The wolf made a weak nod, and matched her friend's smile.

"You too, Wave…"

At that very moment, the meteor hit the lake.

Safyra screeched in suddenly-found fear and pain, but was quieted as she felt the strange comfort of the meteor's energy. She felt water flow to her, and felt as though she was becoming one with it as it seemed to mix with the meteor's energy. She felt the combined elements coming into her, her body feeling…different…more powerful, more skillful. The power soon turned into pain, and she winced, but then her world went black…

"Wave!" Chandani cried as she saw her friend slip into unconsciousness. She was just about to have a good panic attack, but calm was restored as the energy from the meteor wisped around her along with the wind's lovely breeze. At one point, she felt like they were merging together around her, and the seeping into her. She felt a slight pang of pain, but then too slumped into the world of unconsciousness.

* * *

_**The child of the waves…**_

_**The child of the storms…**_

_**Silver and frozen, but free as the waves.**_

_**Snow and emerald, but light as a haze.**_

_**Dancing in water, flying in wind,**_

_**Harboring powers that lie deep within.**_

_**Darkness creeps from every corner,**_

_**But as long as their hearts couldn't be warmer,**_

_**The light will find the darkness, never to sway,**_

_**And chase away the darkness, for it should never stay.**_

_**Unless the children choose darkness,**_

_**Then the world shall never be the same…**_

Safyra's mind was filled with the words as she slowly woke up, her ice-blue eyes taking in a dark starry night. She stumbled up, and surveyed the scene. The lake was calm, and the meteor shower seemed to have subsided long ago. She turned over to her right. There was Chandani, slowly waking up with groans. Safyra saw that the shower had left the park with craters varying in size. "What happened…?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, lemme see," Chandani groaned sarcastically, "A meteor shower was attacking the city, we risked our lives and nearly got killed by saving kids, we started to feel some sorta unimaginable pain, and were knocked out when the meteor hit the lake!" She was apparently not in the mood for being calm.

Safyra rolled her eyes, and waved her hand as if to shake what her friend said off. Unexpectedly a stream of water came out of the lake and landed on Chandani. Safyra examined her hands as if there was something wrong with them. "What the heck…?" she said.

Chandani shook the water off. "Next time you try to cool yourself off, make sure you have better aim!"

"I wasn't," said Safyra, "But something just…happened…"

The wind started to pick up around Chandani, and suddenly the wolf was lifted in thin air, "Something just happened!? _SOMETHING JUST HAPPENED!?_ I don't think so, Safyra Amadi Linat!"

Safyra shook her head, remaining level-headed, "Then explain to me, Chandani Flytah Juryssa, how in the world are you flying?"

The wolf looked down, and seemed to just realize what she was doing. "Huh?" She closed her eyes, and set herself down. She opened her eyes again, revealing an extremely bewildered look on her face. "That…that was weird…"

Safyra nodded, her eyes narrowed in thought, "Let's go home. Now." Chandani nodded, and the two sprinted off into the direction of their neighborhood. Safyra noticed that Chandani was far faster than usual on this particular run, but it didn't seem to bother her.

Safyra also found herself moving fluidly through the trees that led to their neighborhood. She recalled that the neighborhood, despite the nice houses, looked like a large lush green forest. She found herself weaving through the trees gracefully, as if she were a gentle river passing through. _I don't know what's going on,_ she thought, _but one this is for sure: The meteor changed us._

It wasn't long until they arrived at a concrete street. Despite their long and tiring run, they felt like they had just walked leisurely. They didn't feel tired at all. "Let's go home. We'll talk all about this later," Safyra stated calmly. Chandani nodded, and the two parted ways. Chandani was about a block away from Safyra, but Safyra lived directly where they had arrived. Her ice-blue eyes stared ahead, recalling what had happened, and what had happened before the meteor hit.

The gang. The gang that consisted of Safyra, Dolyn, Chandani, and several others. Only six were co-founders, but no one was a 'follower,' so to speak. Everyone was a member, a brother or sister, a mother or father. Whatever the member was, there was one thing they all shared: They were family. A tough, battle-ready family that was ready to take action whenever anyone, no matter how much they might dislike that person, was hurt. No one messed with their street-family.

Of course, that could never compare to her own family. Her beautiful mother, her handsome father, and her dashing brothers. Her mother looked mostly like her, except her eyes were a deep shade of green. She didn't know where she had gotten her eyes. Her father was a white and black rabbit with brown eyes. Their mother's name was Keita Lucy Linat, and her father's was Heaton Mazin Linat. Her brothers were older than her, the eldest by two years. Her eldest brother was like her, except he had their father's eyes. His name was Willard Kevin Linat, or just Will. Then there was the middle one, who inherited their father's coat but their mother's eyes. He was Daniel Reece Linat, or just Danny.

_The best family a person could ask for_, she thought. It wasn't long until she reached her house.

She didn't like what she saw.

Her house was going to burst in flames. Fire had surrounded the two-story house and had almost engulfed it. She ran to the porch and barged in the crumbling door.

"SAFYRA!! RUN!" came the immediate cry of her mother.

Safyra turned to see her parents struggling under the grip of strong-armed cloaked figures. "Mom! Dad!" Safyra cried, her eyes widening in shock. She felt the heat rush over her. _Great. The second time I go into a fire today._ She felt her pockets for what might come in handy. She smirked slyly as she felt it. From her pocket, she protruded a switchblade. The gleaming silver blade itself was an impressive six inches, and the handle was black leather that was made her grip comfortable. "You guys wanna fight?" she challenged.

Two other cloaked ones seemed to appear out of nowhere. Safyra caught glimpses of piercing, neon-green eyes glaring at her. The figures lunged. Safyra easily avoided them and slashed them, catching both of them on the shoulders. The figures shrieked angrily, but regained their composition. They were about to lunge again when two pairs of arms tackled them.

Will and Danny.

"Safyra," said Will, "You need to get out of here!"

"Quickly!" added Danny.

"No!" said Safyra stubbornly. "I won't leave you!"

"Safyra," came her father's voice. Safyra turned to face her parents, whose heads were inches away from pistols. "You need to leave," Heaton said.

"If you leave, girl," warned the cloaked figure that was holding onto him, "we shall finish them off."

"Safyra, don't listen to them!" cried Keita. "We'll be fine."

"NO!" Safyra said defiantly.

"Safyra, please," Keita murmured, "you can't let them get a hold of you. No matter what." Tears escaped her clear green eyes, "We love you, Safyra. And if this is the way it has to be…"

"The so be it," Heaton finished, nodding in the way Safyra would have in this situation.

Tears cascaded down Safyra's face. She looked at her brothers, who were free of the two figures that had attacked them. They nodded. She took a step backwards, "Goodbye…I love you too…All so much…"

The pistols were fired.

Her parents fell to the floor, their blood flowing around them.

The two figures who had once been holding them were hissing in rage. They were slithering towards her. Her brothers stepped to guard her.

"Safyra, hurry, leave," instructed Danny.

Will snuck something into her hand, and before she had time to ask what it was, he added, "We'll be fine. Run!"

Reluctantly, Safyra nodded, tears pouring down her face, and sped away from her home. The image of her parents' execution would never leave her mind. Never. It would haunt her for the rest of her life. She knew it. _What did they want with me?_ she thought. When she reached the forest, she hid under a bush and looked at the object Will had given her. It was a letter.

_Safyra,_

_Hi. It's Will. Saf, you don't need to worry about Danny and me. We won't die. You won't be seeing us for a long time. That goes for Mom and Dad too. Safyra, Mom and Dad had told us when you were born of what today would bring. You're not supposed to know now, not until we meet once more. Don't blame yourself for what's happened. And you need to do me a favor: Don't be such a knucklehead. We love you._

_Love,_

_Will_

_P.S. Make sure you find Chandani._

Safyra forced a small smile. Even at a time like this, Will had the time to joke around. _What does Chandani have to do with any of this?_ she thought curiously. She tucked the letter into her now-torn-at-the-bottom jeans.

"Wave! Wave!?" came Chandani's voice.

Safyra was suspicious at first. What if this was just a mere trick? She looked up cautiously from the bush she was hiding in. It was Chandani all right. She got up. "Moonbeam, over here."

"Thank God I found you!" Chandani said with relief. Her green eyes were clouded with tears. "It…it was horrible! My parents…they got KILLED!! My brothers fought some creeps off while I escaped, and the letter they gave me said to find you. What's happened!?"

Safyra blinked her tears back, "The same thing happened to me." She sighed, "What we should be focusing on right now is what we're gonna do _now_."

"I believe I can help," came a voice with a slightly British-sounding accent. A beautiful woman came out of the darkness of the woods. "I am Zadavia, and I have come to help you, Safyra Amadi Linat and Chandani Flytah Juryssa."

Safyra cocked an eyebrow, immediately recognizing the woman. "I thought you were supposed to be the boss of the Loonatics?" she asked a bit skeptically.

"I am," said Zadavia, nodding, "but I know what has happened, and although I cannot reveal anything superfluous to you, I know what must happen at this moment."

"And that is?" Safyra questioned.

"To join the Loonatics." _That_ was unexpected.

"WHAT!?" the two friends shouted.

"Shh, shh, all will be explained soon, girls," Zadavia said gently. She flipped the hood of her purple cloak onto her head, and faced the forest, "Now, follow me."

Chandani looked at Safyra, wondering what to do. Safyra nodded, not even casting a glance at her, and the two friends walked behind Zadavia.

Safyra didn't know what in the world was going on, but she knew that one thing was for certain.

_Life's changing_, she thought.

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**I really hope you liked it! Poor Keita and Heaton. -sniff- Comments, critism, and anything is much appreciated!!**

**Best Regards,  
Gabby**


	2. Chapter 2: Raining Down the Sorrow

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Hey, there!! I know, I suck for not updating sooner. Well, I was a bit tied up.

**Safyra: Try REALLY tied up, sheesh.**

**Me: I said I was sorry!!**

**Safyra: _Right._**

**Me: - sigh - Okay, well, here it goes, guys!! Second chapter. But not before...**

**_REVIEW ANSWERS!!_**

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**Hehe, okay then, no more distractions! CHAPTER 2, DUDES!!**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Raining Down the Sorrow**_

* * *

Safyra shivered. It had started raining about five minutes ago, and the rain was deathly cold. However, she felt her energy come back to her, as though the rain were _healing_ her soreness. Soon enough, the rain didn't bother her anymore, and she was able to walk with no problem at all. Chandani seemed to have the same reaction, but was still grumpy.

_Probably because her parents were killed, __**and**_ _for not getting any food or playing video games or being on the computer_, Safyra thought with a smirk. Chandani LOVED to eat, and she was one of the biggest technology fanatics she had ever met! They walked in silence, questions of what was going to happen never leaving Safyra's head.

Soon enough, Zadavia stopped. She looked up, "Welcome to your new home, girls."

Safyra and Chandani looked up to see the coolest place in Acmetropolis.

The Loonatics' tower.

* * *

Ace, Lexi, and Tech looked outside the large window, seeing raindrops pour under a gray sky.

"Whatever happened to those girls?" asked Lexi. "I…I hope they made it…"

"I've heard of these Safyra and Chandani characters," said Tech, trying to keep calm, "They are…how to put this? Sorta like gangsters. But, they've never done anything _that_ bad and they've only been street racing at least twice. They haven't gotten arrested or anything. But the word is that they can be very kind and sweet under their 'gangster' shells." A small laugh came from the coyote, "Sound like pretty interesting people."

"Are they dangerous?" asked Lexi curiously, cocking an eyebrow.

"Safyra more than Chandani," said Tech, "They both have switchblades on them. But Safyra knows how to use it a bit better."

Ace, even though he didn't speak, was taking in all the information Tech was telling him. It didn't surprise him about Safyra's "gangster" background, she seemed the type. His worry washed over him like the rain over the city. What had happened? _Please, I hope you didn't die, Safyra…_

His ears twitched as he heard the door open. Who could be entering the tower this late? The trio looked at the door, and gasped.

"Zadavia! What brings you here? Non-holographic, too," said Tech, crossing his arms and smirking in a friendly way.

Zadavia gave a small laugh, "It's alright, Tech. I brought two new friends…" She stepped back to reveal who Ace thought might have gotten killed.

Safyra and Chandani.

"You guys survived the crash!?" Lexi said, and ran up to them, smiling. "I'm glad you're alright!"

Safyra smiled at her, "Couldn't have been alive if it weren't for you."

"No need to happy-fake, Safyra," Chandani murmured unhappily. "I wouldn't be able to after what's happened…" Tears started to form in her eyes, but the wolf rubbed them out quickly, "It's not fair, not fair at all what…what those _freaks_ did to us!"

Safyra sighed, and wrapped an arm over her friend's shoulders, "Life isn't always fair."

Zadavia nodded, noting that Safyra seemed very intelligible for her young age of seventeen. As Ace and Tech approached, she said, "We need to have all the Loonatics here."

* * *

Duck was cursing about how stupid being up this late was, Slam wanted some food and Rev was actually too tired to move. However, as Safyra told the team of what had happened, they became more and more attentive with every word she spoke. Partly because she had excellent story-telling skills, partly because of the terrifying things that had happened. When she finished, they couldn't believe how cruel the people were.

"Who could've done such a thing!?" cried Tech angrily.

"You didn't do anything to them!" agreed Ace.

"That should never have happened!" Lexi joined in.

"Yeah," agreed Rev, "I've never, I mean _never,_ have even _heard_ of anyone do _that!_"

Everyone turned curiously at the road runner.

"How come you ain't talkin' so fast I can barely understand you?" asked Duck.

"The meteor's energy," murmured Zadavia, "I believe it reversed his talking speed. _This_ meteor, you see, had far stranger energy than any other large meteor Acmetropolis has faced. And I, for one, believe that that's saying something." She stared intently at Rev, "It's not surprising something like this would happen."

Safyra cocked an eyebrow, obviously confused, "Eesh! And I thought what the meteor did to me was weird."

"What _did_ it do to you?" asked Rev.

"This," Safyra said as she went to the kitchen and turned the sink on. She concentrated with all her might, and was able to bring the water towards her, turning into a floating stream. She twirled her fingers, and the water swirled around the Loonatics and Chandani. She turned the sink off, and then commanded with her hands for the water to come back into the sink. It listened without resistance.

"And it did _this_ to me too," said Chandani as she closed her eyes to concentrate. Soon enough, the wind began to pick up around them and Chandani rose into the air, floating above them. She landed gracefully with no problem at all.

"Amazing," gasped Tech. "The meteor must've given you the powers to control specific elements. Water for Safyra and wind for Chandani, in this case."

Zadavia nodded, "It seems so…" Her eyes had an unusual look to them, as if she were hiding something. Safyra knew better than to ask, but she couldn't help but be curious about it. She turned her eyes away from the still-mysterious woman.

"So…" Safyra began, her silver and white face turning pink, "If…if it's not too much trouble…We'd like to join your team."

The Loonatics looked at each other, and smiled, and turned to face Safyra, "Of course."

Safyra and Chandani both flashed grateful smiles, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Chandani said happily.

Safyra nodded, "In case none of you know, I'm Safyra Amadi Linat."

"And I'm Chandani Flytah Juryssa," said Chandani.

The Loonatics each introduced themselves in their full names, and Zadavia smiled as it already seemed like they were friends.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Goodnight, Loonatics," said Zadavia as she was approaching the door, "You have your own rooms set already, Safyra. You too, Chandani. Clothes and everything. I prepared a few weeks ago, since I knew it would happen soon. I hope it's too your liking. Your names are on the doors. Goodnight again."

"Goodnight, Zadavia," all eight of them replied.

Zadavia nodded, and left.

Safyra looked at the window that overlooked the city, and a new river of tears washed over her cheeks. She didn't want to cry, but the sudden thought of her parents forced the tears out like a flood, and Safyra hadn't been able to stop it. "They're gone…I can't believe it…" she couldn't say anymore as her words were choked by endless sobbing, and soon enough, as much as she tried to hold it in, Chandani joined. Ace put an arm around Safyra's shoulders.

"We'll find whoever did this. I promise, Safyra," he murmured. He blushed deeply as Safyra buried her head in his chest, sobbing. He stroked her hair gently, "C'mon, I think you should get some rest. You've had a rough day."

Tech looked down at Chandani, who had also resorted to burying her head into his chest after him comforting her, "You should too, Chandani."

Not saying anything, the two newcomers nodded, and Ace and Tech led them to their rooms.

* * *

"Hope you like it," said Ace as he flicked the light switch on. It showed a pale blue room with a bookshelf that was stacked with books and another set of shelves that were stacked with pictures. The bed was big and comfortable with light gray and light blue sheets, with fluffy white pillows. There was a desk with colored pencils and other art supplies and CDs. On the back wall, a mural that depicted a moonlit beach shore had been painted.

Safyra's eyes lit up at the sight of it. "It's…it's perfect…" She gave Ace a hug, "Thank you so much, Ace…"

Ace couldn't help but give a warm smile, "You're welcome, Safyra."

"Goodnight, Ace," said Safyra as she walked into the room and sat on the bed.

"Goodnight, Safyra," Ace murmured as he closed the door.

* * *

"Here ya go," said Tech as he opened the door to Chandani's room. He flicked the light switch on, and it illuminated a very pale gray room that had a large entertainment center with all the latest video games on the wall where the door was, but it was on the left side. It also contained books and pictures. A large bed was laid out in the front wall, with white and pale green sheets and gray pillows. A desk was on the other side of the bed, with a laptop, some CDs, and a few notebooks. At the back of the room, a beautiful mural of a snow-covered forest was painted.

"Oh, my…oh, my goodness…" Chandani whispered in awe. "It's absolutely beautiful…Just right!" She gave Tech a tight hug, "Thank you for everything, Tech!"

Tech smiled gently at her even though he was struggling to breathe, "It was no problem, Chandani…You're perfectly welcome."

As Chandani entered the room and sat on the bed, she smiled at Tech once more, "G'night, Tech."

"Goodnight, Chandani," Tech said, before he closed the door behind him. He was soon met by Ace, who was leaning on a door across the hall. Both boys had a goofy look on their faces, and both had a slight red blush.

"She seems perfect…" Ace mumbled.

"She's so nice…" Tech murmured.

Both boys sighed contently, "Perfect…"

* * *

Safyra stared at her window, now dressed in cozy sky blue pajamas. She wore a buttoned, polo collared, long sleeved shirt and long, comfortable pants. Her eyes were streaming with tears once more. This had been the longest she had cried in her life! Why did this have to happen to her? Her parents being killed, her brothers disappearing to who-knows-where…

"I don't know what's wrong," she murmured under her breath. She settled into her bed, and cuddled under, feeling comforted in the fluffiness of the bed. "But whatever is wrong," she whispered, "I _will_ find out." She remembered the words that had been exposed to her hearing as she recovered from the meteor crash.

"_**The child of the waves…**_

_**The child of the storms…**_

_**Silver and frozen, but free as the waves.**_

_**Snow and emerald, but light as a haze.**_

_**Dancing in water, flying in wind,**_

_**Harboring powers that lie deep within.**_

_**Darkness creeps from every corner,**_

_**But as long as their hearts couldn't be warmer,**_

_**The light will find the darkness, never to sway,**_

_**And chase away the darkness, for it should never stay.**_

_**Unless the children choose darkness,**_

_**Then the world shall never be the same…"**_

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed, causing her to whimper in shock and cuddle under the bed again. Fear trembled through her as the storm raged on. "Perfect weather," she muttered tiredly, and closed her eyes slowly, lulling into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Fire surrounded Safyra like a snake slithering around her. She didn't feel the warmth of the fire, she didn't feel anything besides her emotions and her heart beat. She looked around, but only saw the burning embers engulfing what had once been her house. A black cloaked figure emerged from the flames, looking like a shadow as it seemed to float around her._

"_You will not deny us, Child of the Waves," it hissed. Safyra once more caught a glance of bright neon green eyes staring at her, unblinkingly. It felt like they could go straight though her heart, and into her soul, and could bring out the darkness inside it and control it. "You will not deny us like your foolish parents did…"_

_Safyra reached for her switchblade, but when she found that she wasn't even in normal clothes, panic rose up in her chest. She began to step back, but almost slipped. She looked back, and saw that her house was being separated from the neighborhood she grew up in by a large crack in the ground. She whipped her gaze back to the cloaked figure. Suddenly, she remembered that this…this __**thing**__ took her parents from her. _It deserves to be punished, _she thought, her fists clenching. Her eyes glared at the cloaked one, "I _will_ deny whatever the heck you are, _just _like my parents did." She charged at it, shouting and cursing with anger. The figure whipped out a sword from what seemed from nowhere, and Safyra dodged it. She flipped over it, whirled around as she landed on the floor, and kicked it in the stomach. Anger was coursing around her, pumping in her veins. "I swear to God, by my parents, by my brothers, by my ancestors, I'LL KILL YOU!!" she felt thunder clash above her, and rain and wind soon surrounded her, killing the flames, paining the cloaked figure. It writhed in pain, making a strange…hissing…sound._

"_You're strong, Child of the Waves, Daughter of the Rain," rasped the figure. "But soon…soon…we __**will**__ break you…" _

* * *

Safyra shot up from her bed, sweat dripping down from her silver fur. Her ice-blue eyes widened in shear horror. That had been the scariest—and most confusing—dream of her life. She looked at her window. Early morning. It looked about five o'clock or so. "My God that was scary," she whispered, pulling the covers up to her chin. Why was she shaking? Had the dream affected her _that_ badly? She sighed, her eyes looking down at her covers. She was regaining her calm. Good. She liked being the calmest of her gang. Her eyes drifted to the window, then to her desk, then to her door, and then her closet. _Hm…it's morning, at least. So…what to do? Change clothes and draw, or change clothes and get breakfast?_ she thought, tapping a delicate finger on her chin. Her thoughts were interrupted as rumbling was heard from her stomach. A small chuckle escaped from her lips, "Well, that settles it."

She got changed into a green shirt and blue jeans. She wouldn't need her shoes or her gloves. She combed her hair until it seemed to shine, and braided it. She then brushed her teeth quietly and then headed down the hall, not making a sound. Safyra felt like she was in a dream, like this wasn't real, like she would wake up in her bed at home any second now. But when the silver rabbit entered the kitchen, she took in the scene, and accepted it.

"Morning, Safyra," came a voice.

Safyra turned to see Lexi sitting on the couch, unarmored, reading a magazine. She looked up from her reading and smiled.

"Morning, Lexi," said Safyra cheerfully with a smile. She went inside the kitchen, and asked, "Did you eat yet?"

"No. But you don't have to make anything for me," said Lexi, cocking an eyebrow.

Safyra laughed lightly, "It's no problem, Lexi. It's the least I can do for letting me and Chandani stay with you guys."

"You're our teammates now. It's what we do."

"But still!" Safyra insisted. She got out pans and the toaster and asked, "Now…how about pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs? For everyone!"

"Safyra…"

"Lexi. I want to do this for you guys, please, please, allow me," said Safyra, and set off to work. She wanted to thank them in so many ways, but this she preferred. She liked cooking for others, and this was the perfect example. Plus, she wanted to impress a certain gray rabbit that was hidden behind a black and yellow uniform.

"You're doing this for someone, huh?" asked Lexi, coming up to her. She had a smug and knowing smile on her face, "And that certain someone just so happens to be my cousin, I bet."

"You had a cousin on the team? Oh, I didn't know!" Safyra lied, but made it sound as convincing as she could. Of course she knew! Safyra could be a good actress sometimes, but she knew Lexi would figure it out because of her powers.

"Yeah right!" said Lexi, laughing. She put a hand on Safyra's shoulder, "Look, I'm used to a bunch of girls crushing on my cousin. But I won't tell, promise."

Safyra blushed and made a weak smile, "Th-th-thanks…" Her eyes lit up, and she got back to work on her cooking, "So…how do you like your eggs?"

Lexi laughed and smiled, "You already said scrambled."

Safyra looked over her shoulder, and laughed nervously, "Hehe. Right."

"Anybody need help?" the girls turned around to see Chandani leaning casually on the corridor wall, wearing a light orange shirt and black pants. A cheeky smirk came across the white wolf's face as Safyra smiled and nodded.

* * *

Ace breathed in the sweet smell of the kitchen. He couldn't remember if it had ever smelt this good before! He saw his cousin lounging on the couch, and he asked, "Hey, Lex, what'd you co-"

"Wasn't me, Ace," said Lexi, "It's our new teammates." Her eyes shifted to her left.

Ace looked right and saw Safyra flip over a pancake expertly, leaving it for Chandani to catch it on a plate, where two other pancakes, two strips of bacon, and scrambled eggs were already laid. Safyra twirled the spatula around from a moment, and stuffed it into her apron pocket, "That's it, Chani…" She smiled when she saw Ace, "Oh, good morning, Ace!"

"Morning, Safyra," Ace greeted, "Morning, Chandani."

Chandani smiled and nodded, "Good morning, Ace."

Ace's eyes widened at the large breakfast the two girls had made for the team, "Uh…you guys…you really didn't…"

"But we wanted to!" Safyra said. "It was the least we could do for letting us join the team." She held out a plate for him, "Now, go on n' eat before it gets cold, 'kay?"

Ace smiled and gratefully took the plate, "Thanks, Saf. Is that alright if I call you that?"

"No problem, I go by a bunch of other nicknames anyways. Like Tsunami, Ice, or Wave," Safyra said, smiling. "Now eat, or I'll force feed ya."

"She will, Ace. Take my word for it," Chandani said, shivering in fear. "Bad flashback."

Safyra's smile twisted into a smirk, "It better be."

* * *

Soon enough, all the Loonatics had eaten. Everyone had given compliments to Safyra and Chandani about their cooking, which they always thanked them for. The team was now discussing of how things were right now.

"This is weird," Rev said, slouching down in the couch. "I've gotten so used to talking at high speed…"

"Hey," said Duck, "At least you still get annoyingly hyper." Rev gave him a glare.

Safyra nodded, "Yeah." She poked Chandani, who was next to her. "That way Chani here won't be alone."

Chandani stuck her tongue out, making the others laugh.

Ace smiled gently. Whatever these two brought, it was going to be intrusting with these two around. Safyra suddenly stood up, and looked outside. It was raining again, and suddenly her ice-blue eyes clouded over.

"I'll be going for a walk, if that's okay," she muttered gently, and went into her room. She came out in a few moments wearing her shoes, and slinging on a tan colored trench coat, pulling the collar straight up, putting a fedora on her head, and heading out the door.

Chandani's eyes narrowed worriedly. "Something's wrong."

* * *

Safyra weaved through the forest that surrounded her neighborhood. She had something to see. The rain was pouring down on her fur, but she didn't care, she just needed to get to her home.

…Or what had been her home.

Her eyes drifted towards the sky as she pushed her hands into her pockets. She wondered what she would find. The burnt corpses of her parents? She shook her head. _Will said they were alive…_ she thought, but then she frowned slightly, _and he said he'd be alive too…But…how can I know that for sure?_ All she was sure of right now is that it would not be much of a pretty sight. Her pace quickened at the thought. As she rounded a few more corners, she saw a large crowd of people gathered around one large ashy square. The burnt remains of her home. Safyra tipped her fedora to the front, making it block her eyes. She heard people weeping and mourning. Her eyes widened. _They think we're dead!!_

Safyra then spotted Dolyn. He was with his parents, along with his younger sister, Renni Erika Jacobs. Renni was a snow-white cat with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes like Dolyn, who was now hugging Dolyn tightly for comfort. Safyra's vision almost blurred with tears as she saw Dolyn's head bowed, looking sorrowfully at the once-house. She then saw the other four co-founders of their gang. A tan-colored roadrunner with reddish-brown hair and piercing yellowish eyes was there. Her name was Tawny Sakina Grindan. She then saw two foxes. One was a pretty female that had unusual golden fur and white muzzle, underbelly, stockings, and tail-tip. She had red hair and greenish-amber eyes. Her name was Malaika Solei Trenton, otherwise Mali. And then the other fox was a male with fiery orange fur with black muzzle, underbelly, stockings, and tail-tip. He had dark brown hair with blue eyes. His name was Chase Ricardo Elrin. Mali was resting her head in Chase's chest, sobbing. Chase wept a few silent tears himself, but embraced Mali gently and rested his chin on her head. Those were the only ones she could see clearly.

Safyra's eyes were blurring with tears. "I'm so sorry…."

She heard footsteps next to her, and saw a figure wearing blue jeans and a red hoodie, the hood over his head. Through the shadows of the figure's face, Safyra saw two crystal blue eyes staring right at her.

Ace.

"Are you okay?" Ace asked gently as he came next to her. Safyra tried her best not to break down into tears.

"They…they think…we're dead…" Safyra choked out, "I can't believe it…I just can't. I don't want to…leave them behind like this…" Her tears were freed, and they came down like waterfalls on her delicate cheeks. Ace instinctively wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest. She had no idea while she was being so familiar with him, but it just felt so right…

"It'll be fine, don't worry," Ace whispered into her ear. He just noticed that her ears drooped down, but were still an ordinary size. Like there was an imaginary pin on them or something. He thought it looked cute. But he hated to see her so sad.

"How?" choked Safyra.

"I don't know. But you do."

Safyra, suddenly knowing where he was getting at, closed her eyes. She concentrated on having the rain become lighter, wispier. It did, and Safyra opened her eyes. "Look…" she whispered, and she heard her message being carried on the wind.

Dolyn's ears pricked and he scooted to the back of the group, and looked back. Tawny was next to him, then Mali and Chase, then the others. All their eyes were staring at the two rabbits, but they couldn't see their eyes.

A smirk came upon Safyra's face, and she tipped up her fedora, exposing her eyes. She saw her gang jolt in surprise. It was just what she believed both her and Ace theorized: she could be able to talk to someone at great distances if any presence of water was there. The rain was helping her.

* * *

Tawny looked at Dolyn, her yellow eyes confused, "Dolyn…Did you just…?"

"I…I did, Tawny," Dolyn murmured. He saw Mali and Chase staring at Safyra and the other figure. "You saw…?" he began to ask the two foxes.

"I-I-I'm seeing," Mali stammered, "But…But not believing…"

"Me neither," Chase agreed, nodding slowly.

"Should we tell anyone…?" asked Tawny.

_No…_

The group snapped their heads to Safyra, whose words were being formed with her mouth.

_No…Not yet…I just felt bad for you guys. I don't want you to think me and Chani are dead. 'Cause dudes, we ain't._

"Where are you, then?" Mali asked skeptically.

_That's not important. Look, I gotta go. See you guys later. _Suddenly, mist shrouded over Safyra and the other figure, and when it cleared, they were gone.

* * *

Safyra and Ace walked through the park together. Safyra's eyes were sorrow-filled, and Ace didn't like it one bit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I guess," Safyra said, shrugging, "I just wish I didn't have to see little Renni cry like that."

"Renni?"

"My friend's little sister. She was like my little sister too, and I…I almost felt the pain she felt," Safyra murmured. "I feel so bad…"

"Hey, you wanna know what you did right for your gang, though?" Ace asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, what?"

"You…you rained down their sorrow. Doesn't that make you feel any better?"

A small smile crept on Safyra's face, "Actually, it does. Thanks, Ace."

"No problem, Saf," Ace said, mirroring her smile. The two walked through the park, talking and smiling. Safyra felt better, now. Ace had been right.

She had rained down her gang's sorrow.

Ace had rained down hers.

* * *

**Okay, so there ya have it!! I'll try to be earlier with the updates. Hope you enjoyed it!! Review, please! - Gabby**


	3. Chapter 3: Revenge and All Its Darkness

**And I'm back from the dead!! Hehe. Seriously, dudes, really, really sorry about that. School's finishing up and stuff, y'know? Anyways, here it is!! CHAPTER 3!!**

**But first, _REVIEW ANSWERS!!_**

**_ShiningShadow - _Thank you for your condolences and compliments. I really hope this chapter is good too!**

**_CassidyCoyote - _Thanks so much for your sympathy. - hugs - And yeah, she really was. And thanks for reading my story!!**

**_Lady Dragon010 -_ Sorry it took so long for me to continue...**

**Okay then, ON WITH CHAPTER 3!!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

"_**Revenge and All Its Darkness"**_

* * *

"Really, where the heck are you two taking us?" Safyra said as Ace grasped her shoulders, guiding her though the hallways due to her blindfold. Chandani was in the same predicament, except she was being supported by Tech. It had been two weeks since they had joined the team, and everything had been going smoothly. Chandani spent a lot of time with Tech in the lab, creating blueprints for inventions, and also serving as a mechanic. Safyra helped Ace strategize and tend to weaponry. Both of the girls excelled at combat practice, and it scared the team, seeing as they had been extremely dangerous even before they'd joined. Safyra and Chandani would just smirk at their fear, thinking it humorous.

"Not telling," both Ace and Tech said in unison.

"AW!" Chandani whined, crossing her arms. "You two suck!"

"We know."

"Don't get your tail in a knot, Moonbeam," Safyra said calmly, although she too was getting extremely irked. They walked on in silence for a few moments, and Safyra giggled as she heard Chandani's yelp as she almost tripped. Again. "And you suck with a blindfold on, too!"

"Laugh all ya want now, Wave," Chandani warned, "I'll be remembering that comment at the next birthday party; the piñata stick will 'accidentally' break your jaw, since I _suck so_ _hard_ at it."

Safyra gulped, knowing that Chandani would keep her word. She shut up, not wanting to make in inevitable future punishment worse. Ace and Tech laughed.

"Okay, you two," Ace said, and started to undo Safyra's blindfold, and Tech with Chandani's. "Open."

The girls did as they were told. Their eyes widened as they gasped, hands to their mouths in shock.

There were Lexi, Rev, Slam, and Duck, holding up two new uniforms. One was a black and turquoise that was being held by Lexi and Rev. The other was being held by Slam and Duck, a black and light silver one. The two new girls beamed at their teammates, and suddenly glomped Tech and Ace.

"THANK YOU!!" they chorused, squeezing them as they fell to the floor.

Safyra smiled at Ace and went over to the two uniforms, asking which was her. Lexi and Rev handed her the black and turquoise. She looked at it in awe, her ice-blue eyes sparkling. "This…this is the best thing anyone…anyone could've done for us…" she murmured as she hugged it. She managed a small smile through her happy tears. "Thank you…"

Chandani grinned and nodded, hugging her new suit as well. "This is FREAKIN' AWESOME!!" Her eyes snapped open, and Safyra's heart started to pound harder as she noticed the evil gleam in her friend's green eyes.

"Crap," the rabbit murmured, her ears pinning down more than usual. Chandani suddenly zipped over to her and began bouncing up and down as she also tugged at her sleeve, grinning like a madwoman.

"Change! Change! Let's go change!" the white wolf exclaimed, and then started examining her suit, turning it in all directions. "So, what? It has a button we could press so it clings to us and changes us into it automatically, right? Right, Tech?"

Everyone was unnerved by Chandani's hyperactivity. Tech coughed to regain his composure, and then nodded. "Yes, it does."

Chandani instantly found the button and pressed it. The suit started to cling to her arm, and then it seemed to wrap around her body as quick as a flash. Safyra did the same.

Their armors allowed their hair to be exposed. Safyra's eyes were now a silver-blue, while, Chandani's were a piercing light gray. They examined themselves, turning and twisting their bodies for different angles of view of the suit. Chandani smirked.

"Heh, not bad at all. Whaddaya think, Wave?"

Safyra mirrored the smirk as she looked at her armored arm. "It's not as heavy as I expected, Moonbeam. It's not heavy at all, actually!!"

"Freakin' awesome!" Chandani exclaimed again.

"Get hyper again, and I'll take away your computer for a month," Safyra said bluntly as she clicked the button on her arm again and was back in her normal clothes. Everyone laughed after Chandani yelped like a puppy.

* * *

"Okay, so…what else…?" Lexi muttered as she looked at the week's shopping list. She was out of her suit as well, along with Safyra and Chandani at her sides. All three were carries two bags already.

Chandani grumbled as she picked up the bag that held about sixteen cans of Sloppy-Joe mix. "Saf, remind me t' kill Slam for wanting so much food…"

"Remind me to kill Duck for all this Misty Breeze merchandise," Safyra added, looking into her bag filled with socks, posters, and cups all containing the face of the annoying weather girl. She had never liked her, and the Weather Vane incident she'd witnessed didn't help her. "I mean, really!? It's unhealthy to be so obsessed with someone! C'mon, SOCKS!?"

As her rant continued, Lexi leaned over to Chandani. "Hey, Chani, does Saf usually get into mindless rampages when she's mad?"

"You don't know half of it, Lex," Chandani muttered, rolling her eyes. She really, _really_ hated it when Safyra went into her rants. The longest timed one was at least three hours. "But I have a solution." She walked over to the still-talking Safyra, and smacked her in the back of her head.

"Yow!" Safyra exclaimed, cringing over. She rubbed the back of her head while glaring at the wolf. "I'm gonna kill you, puppy!!" Chandani gave a yelp and hid behind Lexi, shaking. Safyra was just about to lunge for her when a sound shot through Acmetropolis. It was a melodic but haunting sound, like a whale song. Safyra and Chandani stood up. The two dropped their bags and ran.

"Hey! Guys!!" Lexi called, extending her hand as if to reach for them. But the girls had disappeared from sight already. The beige and white rabbit let her ears droop as her eyes narrowed in concern. "What…what happened…?"

* * *

"I feel bad about leaving Lexi like that," Safyra murmured as she and Chandani weaved through the large city. She hopped onto a trashcan, running on two others without making a sound before jump-flipping over a fence. She stopped, and bent down with her hands on her knees to take a small break. Chandani landed from her own fence jump next to her. The wolf looked at her, seriousness in her green eyes.

"The gang was before the Loonatics," she murmured stoically, but Safyra could sense an aura of regret around her friend. The silver and white rabbit sighed.

"However, the city comes before the gang," she reminded her friend, her eyes closed. "Heck, you said it yourself." Chandani sighed, and leaned onto a random trash can. She looked down, and Safyra couldn't tell what her emotions were.

"That was before _they_ showed up," the wolf whispered, and Safyra instantly knew what she meant. Suddenly, Chandani gasped, her eyes widening as she realized something. Safyra wondered why this happened, but after a few moments she mimicked her friend's actions.

"_They!"_ the two said in sync. Safyra suddenly darted forward, Chandani following soon after. Their hearts pounded out of their chests as more and more fear rushed through their bodies.

They hoped they weren't too late.

The companions continued to twist and turn through the streets, again diving in and out of alleyways and entering new ones repeatedly. Each moment caused the two to become more fearful every second.

It only got worse when they finally arrived.

"Dolyn! Tawny!" Safyra cried as they entered the final alleyway. She looked around wildly, her fear having thrown her into hysterics. It had led to a large, rectangular area about half a mile long. On all four sides, there was an entrance/exit. The area was dark, the alleyways being the darkest. This was where all the streets in Acmetropolis led to, if anyone walked long enough. Several people were there, all anthros.

Chandani was no better. "Chase! Mali!" she shouted.

The four summoned ones appeared, appearing from the alleyways. Dolyn from one, Tawny from the other across from it, and Chase and Mali from the one across Chandani and Safyra together. As soon as they came, the anthros cleared the way for the top members, also the co-founders, of the gang. Many of them gaped in awe, having doubted the other co-founders' story of how Tsunami and Storm had come back from the dead. Safyra and Chandani regained their composures as they met with the other four, forming a slight circle as they completely met up.

"You called, Flash?" asked Safyra to Tawny, who had earned the nickname Flash thanks to her speed. Safyra and Chandani had earned three for unknown reasons, even to them. Tawny was the Caller. Every time a crisis showed up in the gang, Tawny would get her seashell instrument and blow it loud enough for the whole city to hear. The very same shell was wrapped around her waist at that moment.

Tawny nodded solemnly, confirming that she summoned the gang. "Rock's little sister unintentionally got us into a pretty bad situation."

Safyra froze. Rock was Dolyn's nickname. "Renni…" she whispered fearfully. Her eyes narrowed, as if she were glaring at something. She whipped her head around the circle. "Tell me what happened. Now."

Chase stepped forward. "Renni was in the store buying some food, when suddenly _they _showed up." Everyone in the gang tensed, everyone knowing what the co-founder meant. "They said some teasing words, and a few perverted remarks, and Renni just blew up in their faces. They beat her up and knocked her out, since she didn't have her knife on her. They left her here and we found her today. She's home now, resting. But now they're asking for a fight."

The six remained silent. No one knew what to say, they were so shocked about the difficult situation. Renni had been their little sister as well, not just Dolyn's. And everyone knew how protected she was by the co-founders. Even the whole of Acmetropolis knew they were a force to be reckoned with.

Safyra ran through it in her head. She'd do anything to avenge Renni's injuries, but then a brawl would ensue. No brawls happened without at least one casualty. She couldn't risk it. However, she realized, the brawl didn't really affect territorial issues, like most did. It would just hurt their honor. Safyra couldn't let that happen either.

It was either Renni, or honor. Love, or pride.

She closed her eyes, pondering a bit more. Everyone saw the action and diverted their attention to her. Safyra was the one who usually made decisions like this, since she was the only one who could keep a clear mind in any situation. Tawny and Chase often said that her ever-going calmness was creepy. Safyra couldn't argue. Her eyes snapped open. Everyone could feel some sort of energy emitting from her; even the youngest members of the gang sensed it before they looked up. The co-founders stepped back a bit as they saw the fire in her ice-blue eyes. "If they want a fight, we'll fight. They'll know not to mess with us." She turned to the whole of the gang.

"_The Dusks won't mess with the Hurricanes anymore!!" _Thunderous cheers came from the Hurricanes, everyone now nervously-excited for the fight.

Renni's misfortune would not go unnoticed.

* * *

The co-founders were now in their old forest neighborhood, walking to Dolyn's house. The formation had Dolyn and Tawny in front, Safyra and Chandani in the middle, and Chase and Mali in the back. Each of the six was deafly silent, except for Mali, who was always trying to start a conversation. Safyra wished she could've talked back, but now there was only one person on her mind: Renni. _The Dusks will pay. Renni's hurt. They hurt one of our __**youngest**__ Hurricanes! THEY'RE GONNA PAY!!_ she screamed in her mind, her fists balling up tighter every second.

Tawny glanced back at the fuming rabbit, worry flickering in her golden eyes. "Safyra, please…" she murmured softly as they turned a corner. Only two minutes to Dolyn's house now. The four that did not include Tawny or Safyra looked curiously at the currently-speaking roadrunner. She only called anyone by their real name when she was worried. "I know you love Renni like a little sister, but don't get so pissed. You _know_ Renni hates that. She gets scared, Saf. Don't let her see ya like that. Don't let _us_ see you like that. Please…" Her amber eyes trailed down, and stayed like that.

Safyra nodded, even though Tawny was in front of her. Mali smiled in relief from the back. Tawny had always been a good speaker, and was very moving when she put her heart and soul into it. The group finally made it to Dolyn's house after what seemed a century. Dolyn opened the door and the group filed in. It was a normal house, with enough furnishing, but with a seriously large plasma screen that Chandani drooled at. The wolf had always admired the big source of technology.

Suddenly, a white cat came down the stairs. She had short dirty-blonde hair and relieved brown eyes. The cat's eyes widened as she looked at Chandani and Safyra. "Saf? Chani?" she spoke, revealing her age to be around her early thirties. This was who Renni had gotten her looks from. Her mother, Rose Anna Jacobs. "You're…alive…?" she stuttered.

Safyra and Chandani winced; they'd forgotten that Dolyn's parents would see them. They didn't want to explain anything right now, especially when they didn't know much themselves.

Rose grinned and ran towards them. "You're alive!!" she cried before wrapping the two unsuspecting girls into a bear hug. Safyra smiled weakly and gently hugged the cat anthro back.

"We can't stay long, Mrs. Jacobs. We just came to see Renni."

Rose's cheerful personality faded right then and there. A sad look crossed her face, and she gestured her arm to the stairs she'd just come down from. "Go on ahead, kids. Be quiet, though; she might get a headache."

The six nodded, understanding the elder anthro's orders. They swiftly but quietly went upstairs, Dolyn leading them to the right and then two doors down. They stopped at a slightly opened white door. A wood carving with elegant script printed on it said: Renni. Dolyn opened the door a bit more, peeking inside. "Ren?" he said quietly.

"…Dolyn…come…come in," a weak voice cracked. Safyra flinched, noticing the intense pain in the younger girl's voice. The six went in, and Safyra almost went to tears.

There was a young, fourteen-year old white cat curled up in a bunch of blankets. Her once-wavy dirty-blonde hair was frizzled up from fighting a battle, and her once-lively blue eyes were clouded, pained. Safyra rushed over to the cat's bedside, protectively grasping the cat's small paw. "Renni…" the rabbit whispered gently, "it's Safyra. You're gonna be fine now, hon…" Everyone looked concernedly at the weak cat, who just looked like a small kitten now.

"You gonna be fine, honey…?" Mali murmured as she came up to the other side of the cat, stroking her hair gently.

Renni looked at everyone gratefully. "Yeah, I'm gonna…be fine now. Thanks so much…you guys…" her voice began to become a whisper. Everyone else gathered around her, cooing gently to her to get some rest. Renni, being her stubborn self, something she'd learned from Chandani and Tawny, shook her head. "I'll…I'll be fine, guys. I really wanna…thank you…for all you did…" She then looked at Safyra. "Ice," she murmured softly, "Are…are you angry at me?"

Safyra's eyes widened instantly, and her grip on the cat's hand tightened slightly. "No, Renni! I couldn't be mad at you! But…" her voice trailed off, and her ice-blue eyes looked away. Renni knew what that meant.

"You're… mad at the Dusks, aren't you?" came her soft voice. Safyra reluctantly nodded, and Renni suddenly had a terribly panicked look on her face. "Ice…" she whispered. But then her sleepiness took over, and the cat closed her eyes, falling asleep they way she was.

Dolyn got up from his spot near Renni's bed. "Hey, guys…I think we should leave. Let Renni sleep." The other five nodded, and slowly left the room. The six parted ways, with Dolyn staying home and the other five to go to their respective homes.

All the way home, Chandani kept sneaking anxious glances at Safyra, who walked doggedly as if she was about to punch someone in the face.

That was going to have to wait for the brawl, the white wolf hoped. "Wave…look, maybe we shouldn't go through with the brawl…"

"Says the one who's normally the first one to suggest getting into one," Safyra remarked coldly, her eyes glaring ahead. "I won't let the Dusks go unpunished. Renni was brave, trying to fight 'em off." She then looked Chandani dead in the eye. "Let's prove that Renni didn't get hurt because she was weak…She's strong, Chani, and we know that. The only think that led her into getting bedridden was because there were four of them and one of her…"

"We're mostly likely gonna be even in the brawl," Chandani debated frantically. "It's gonna be about a hundred against a hundred."

"In brawls, it's the strength that counts. Not the numbers. But when it's a fourteen year-old cat against young adult humans, you're basically screwed," Safyra said in her stoic voice once more.

The two friends remained silent. Chandani knew that if she debated any longer, Safyra would just argue with an unusually angered comeback. They walked through the forest until they reached the tower.

* * *

"So, run the situation by me again," Ace said, rubbing his brow in worry. The Loonatics had been alarmed when Lexi had come home alone, carrying all three heavy loads of groceries. They were now in the living room, sitting on their chairs and sofas, listening intently to the other speak. "Saf and Chani heard this sound that went though the whole city, and they just dropped the bags and bolted?"

Lexi nodded worriedly, staring down at the coffee she'd made herself earlier. "Yeah, and I thought they'd come back in five minutes…But when I waited for ten, I just came home. I'm sorry, Ace…"

"The question is now: Where are they?" Tech stated obviously.

"Tch," Duck muttered, "Probably stirring up trouble, if ya ask me."

"They're not bad, Duck!" Rev snapped, not liking it when either Safyra or Chandani was criticized because of what they were 'supposed' to be.

"It's just a thought!" Duck snapped back, "I mean, let's think for a second: Mysterious sound goes through city, they follow it, and they're probably planning something right about now like getting into one big fight or something." The misunderstood hero had no clue how right he was.

"Saf and Chani not bad!" Slam insisted, almost sending Rev and Lexi flying of the sofa when he punched the armrest in frustration.

Suddenly, they heard the entrance door slide open. Everyone turned to find an angry-looking Safyra and a worried Chandani. Tech cocked an eyebrow; that was strange. Usually it was the other way around.

"Sorry, Lex," Safyra said, her looking softening a little, "We really didn't mean to make you carry all those things by yourself. But…that…" her voice trailed off, not sure if she wanted to tell them or not. She sighed, thinking it was better off to just tell them. "That was a friend of ours calling our gang in. Someone's been hurt, so now the Hurricanes and the Dusks are gonna have a brawl tomorrow." The date had been settled on the way to Dolyn's house. The Loonatics immediately went on edge. Duck even blanched; he hadn't expected his out-of-the-blue prediction to be so accurate.

"Safyra, what do you think you're doing?" Ace asked worriedly, eyes wide.

"Getting revenge!" Safyra finally hissed, glaring at them. "No one hurts my sister the way the Dusks did! NO ONE HURTS RENNI!!" her shout echoed throughout the whole tower, and perhaps even beyond. It scared everyone out of their seats, each and every one of them wishing they had stayed outside today. "The Hurricanes are gonna fight back for her! _**No Hurricane will disappear at Dusk!**_" She stormed away, and they could hear her closing her door angrily.

Chandani was trembling. She had never seen Safyra so angry. She had always been sweet, calm, practical Safyra. "I…I'm really sorry…" she began to murmur, everyone turning their shocked faces to her. "Wave doesn't mean it…she really doesn't. Renni was hurt really badly. She's our sister, y'know? Well, not blood, but still…our sister…" tears began to flow down her face, "Safyra would do anything to protect Renni…please don't get mad. Wave's not like this most of the time…I'm sorry!"

Suddenly an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Chandani looked up to see Tech smiling at her. "It'll be fine," he murmured softly. "C'mon, let's get you to bed, you're probably exhausted." Chandani consented after a moment's ponder, and he began to lead her down the hall. But not before he nodded in Ace's direction.

_Talk to her,_ his look said. Ace looked away, but nodded slightly, saying he'd do it. "I'm gonna turn in too, guys," he lied, faking a yawn as best he could. "Night." Everyone murmured quiet goodnights, and Ace stopped at the corridors into Safyra's room. He knocked on the door. "Saf…?"

"…Come in…" a sobbing voice said quietly. He did as he was requested and went in. He saw a huddled up Safyra on her bed, sobbing.

"…Saf…?" he whispered, walking over slowly before sitting on her bed. "Hey, are you…?"

"I'm sorry, Ace," Safyra suddenly said. "I really didn't want to get so angry. I hate being angry. It's just…" she began sobbing again, "Renni…they hurt Renni…" It was full crying now, even whimpering and screaming. Ace felt helpless, but then hesitantly stroked her hair.

"You really care for Renni, dontchya, Saf?"

"Renni's my sister. Of course," Safyra sobbed, liking the feelings of his hand touching her hair so gently. "But, I remember when I found out she had gotten hurt…I was just thinking 'revenge, revenge, revenge.' I hated it." She slowly got up, hugging her knees to her chest. "Can…can I tell you why it pisses me off so much…please? I really need to vent, and…Chani's probably heard enough of my complaints…" She looked at Ace with unusually pleading eyes. "Please?" she begged in a whisper.

Ace smiled. "Go on ahead." Safyra returned the smile weakly and then took a deep breath.

"Ever since I was ten, I've been a co-founder of the Hurricanes, a gang Chani, our friends Dolyn, Tawny, Chase, Mali, and I created together. Years went by and we began to grow. However," she paused. "There was an older gang. One that hated all anthros and only consisted of humans. The Dusks. As the Hurricanes grew, they became competitive. They wanted to defeat us just because we had anthros and a few humans. Very few humans wanna join the Hurricanes. So since four years ago, when we were thirteen, they've been attacking and attacking whenever a chance comes." Another sigh escaped her lips. "And now they got Renni, which really pisses me off more than usual…" She looked at Ace. "I'm thinking Chani was right about what she said on the way here: Maybe we shouldn't follow through. But the Dusks know already. If we forfeit, they'll kill us. I know they will."

Ace never knew that Safyra was caught up in such an adult environment since she was so young. And the situation she was in now probably wasn't helping very much. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, at a loss for normal words. He suddenly felt a presence on his shoulder. He looked and saw that Safyra had laid her head on his shoulder. "

"It's not your fault, Ace…but…" she looked up at him, "Thank you…" She hugged him gently, happy tears running down her cheeks. "You're really easy to talk to, y'know…" Ace smiled again at tentatively stroked her hair once more.

"You're welcome, Saf," he murmured. He gently got off the bed, making Safyra wince a little. She'd wanted him to stay with her for a while longer, but knew that she couldn't force him into doing anything. He opened the door. "G'night," he said, smiling.

Safyra smiled as well. "Night," she murmured. He closed the door behind him. Safyra didn't feel so bad about the brawl anymore. She'd felt so light after she told the story to him, and she didn't want to rid herself of that feeling. But with a sigh, she knew she had to go to bed.

* * *

"Curses!" a cloaked figure snapped in front of a crystal ball. "Damned Ace Bunny gets her happy again…she was just about to…"

"Calm yourself, Divana," another voice said behind the figure.

The cloaked one named Divana looked at yet another cloaked one a few feet away from her. "Eruki, I…"

"No need to apologize," the one named Eruki murmured. "We'll get the Children soon. I realize that the situation she was in right now could've provided enough darkness in her heart for us to use, but…" she patted Divana on the shoulder, "let's wait until she's at the brawl." A small chuckle escaped her lips. "The power of the Children of Waves and Storms will be ours…as long as they have enough darkness lingering in their hearts…" Another chuckle escaped her lips. "Revenge and all its darkness…"

* * *

**Hehe...evil psychos in cloaks! FEAR THEM!! So, how was it? Good? Bad? Okay? Just lemme know how I can improve!! Gabby, signin' off!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Her Secret

**Hello, my viewers! (Or whoever's left of my viewers, considering my immense procrasination.) Here's a nice twist for ya in this annoyingly short chapter. I was gonna prolong the chapter until the sequence of the brawl, but my impatience got the better of me. I hope you like it! **

**You probably would've never guessed what Safyra's secret is. (No scrolling down to the end, please!) But I dunno, maybe you have already. This is a very...random but deliberate twist that was planned. If I made a mistake in previous chapters: My bad!**

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Her Secret**_

* * *

Safyra's eyes shot open in the middle of the night, a glint of fiery determination shining in them. When it came to the situation she was in right now, she knew exactly when to wake up every time. And today it was one in the morning. Safyra didn't mind it; she was used to not getting enough sleep, even though she'd become overly-well-rested since she'd joined the Loonatics; Acmetropolis had been quiet lately. Pushing her thoughts aside, she pulled off her sheets, feeling suddenly hot. She walked over to her desk and got out her colored pencils and paper. She then found her CD player and earphones, and put them on. She sat down and began to skim her pencil across the page, using her other hand to press the 'Play' button on her player. She bobbed her head to the music, lost in it as she sketched more.

The song ended and Safyra was brought back to reality. She looked at what she created, and immediately froze. She hadn't realized what she'd drawn until now…

The drawing was of her. She was tied up to the wall, bleeding enormously, but she was glaring at something. Away from the sketch-Safyra was a woman. She could tell that the person was a woman because of her long hair. Safyra hadn't drawn her face, because the back was facing her. The silver and white rabbit began to hyperventilate, her eyes growing wider and wider with utmost horror. A pang of immense pain rushed through her left eye, making her yelp and grasp that side of her face. _No! Not my eye again…_ she complained.

This had happened to her a couple times, considering her eye…but the pain that was engulfing her entire body from staring at the picture was overwhelming. She cringed over her desk, nails digging into the wood. She held back her screams, only letting out grunts. A pang went through her head, causing the pain to subside for the moment. Visions flashed through her head. Horrible visions. Her body chained to the wall, barely alive…a woman who she believed was the one in the sketch, glaring at her…a chaotic storm… blood everywhere in a room…

The last image hit her hard.

Her friends…Chani, the Hurricanes, the Loonatics…all dead. Dead and bloodied. And Ace…she didn't know why, but the image of Ace's dead body hit her the hardest. The pain became stronger as it returned, causing her to double off the chair and onto the floor, curled into a ball.

She let out a pained, terrified scream that pierced the air like a knife through butter.

"_AAAAAGH!!"_

* * *

The Loonatics heard the scream clearly, even though they had their steel walls for it to go through. Ace flew up from his bed, eyes widening. "Safyra," he breathed, before rushing out of his room and down the hallway, meeting up with the rest of the team halfway. Everyone was there, all staring horrified at the door. Chandani was in front of everyone, rushing towards the door. Ace was right behind her, with Tech following, and then Lexi, Rev, Slam, and Duck. Immediately after opening the door, they all gasped in shock.

Safyra was rolling on the floor, screaming in agonizing pain. She looked at them with tears coming out of her eyes. "Please….help…" she croaked. Chani didn't need an explanation. She rushed to her friend's side.

"Wave!? What's wrong!?" she asked, trying her hardest to keep her cool. Before answering, her rabbit friend gave another shout.

"The sketch, Chani…the sketch…is what caused it…" Safyra rasped, her ability to talk choked by the pain. The white wolf looked up at her desk and nodded, heading towards there immediately as Ace took charge of taking care of Safyra.

Chani took one look at the piece of paper and froze. "Wave…what…" she choked. "What the heck is this!?" she snapped, a mixture of fear, confusion, and maybe anger in her voice. Something about the picture was something out of place…what scared her most was that she couldn't tell what exactly _was_ wrong…

"Leave it!" Ace said, trying his best to stay calm while Safyra was in this state. "Just tear it up before she-" Chani wouldn't hear the completion of his sentence and tore the picture into as many tiny pieces as she could, making sure to let them all float into Safyra's trashcan.

Safyra's thrashing around ceased, and her breathing came in a rush of ragged wheezes. Her breathing regulated into harsh coughs for a few moments until it evolved into slow, deep pants. She got up on her knees, with her hands still on the floor. She looked up at Chani, a tired smile creeping over her face. "Thanks…" she croaked.

"What happened?" Chani asked sternly.

Safyra's smile withered and she shook her head. "I dunno. One look at that…" she shook as she remembered, "that _thing_...and I started hurting, choking, _seeing_ things…" The reverie was horrifying. "Ace…where's Ace?" she said, just looking at Chani.

Ace's brow furrowed, not believing that Chani couldn't see him even though he was right there. "Saf," he spoke gently, "I'm right here." Why couldn't she see him? It wasn't the way her hair was, was it? (Safyra had choppy bangs on the left side that covered most of her air, and on her right there were absolutely no bangs whatsoever.)

Safyra stiffened, and her eyes widened. Ace took it as though she'd just realized a mistake. Odd… "Uh…right," the silver rabbit said awkwardly, grinning goofily, "Sorry, Ace." She brushed her hair out of her face, "Ah, there you are!" she giggled.

Even though he was worried, Ace flashed a smile. "Yup," he said. "Are you okay?"

There was silence, and Safyra looked down on the floor. "No, no I'm not…" She rubbed her head, groaning. "You guys go 'n eat. I need to stay in bed." She weakly climbed up, almost stumbling to the floor had not Ace and Lexi gone to catch her. She smiled at the other two rabbits, nodding in gratitude. She slowly climbed on the bed and silently tucked herself in the covers.

Chani sighed. "I guess we'll have to call off the rumble…" she muttered. Ace and Tech looked at her with hopeful eyes. "But the only way you can call off a rumble is when the leader clarifies he or she is unable to fight. Wave won't do that."

"You're right, Moonbeam…" came Safyra's voice from the bed. "I won't. I'll be fine by noon. The rumble starts at six, right? Right. I'll be fine. Just…leave, please."

Chani nodded. "Okay." She began to walk towards the door, gently shooing the others out too. "By noon, then?"

"Yeah."

"Get some shut-eye, huh?"

"Funny how you worded that," she heard Safyra murmur, and the white wolf was immediately puzzled. What had she said? She shook her head before she closed the door; even to her, Safyra was still an ongoing enigma. Realizing this, she sighed before walking down the hallway along with the other Loonatics.

"Chandani…" Tech whispered as she passed by him. The wolf anthro stopped and slowly turned to the coyote, her eyes staring into his.

"Yeah?"

"What's happening to Safyra?"

A sad look flashed across Chani's face, and she turned her head away, still not moving. The other Loonatics looked at her in curiosity. "I wish I knew…" she murmured, before walking away again and stopping again. She looked back one last time, with her eyes shining with unshed tears that were threatening to pour, "But whatever it is…I know it has something to do with me too…"

* * *

Safyra curled herself closer, shivering even though she knew full-well it wasn't the least bit cold. _My body is perfectly fine,_ she thought, _I can run twenty miles without feeling pain if I wanted to. But…my eye…_ She held her hand over her hair, over her eye, _It hurts more than usual. I think I might actually have to tell them about it…_ Safyra shook her head violently. _No! No! I promised myself I'd never tell anybody!_

She felt something off, and she let a light gasp come out. _My contact…_ she said, _I didn't have my contact over my eye. Oh no; did they see!?_ Panic began to swell in her, and she rushed out of her room, carrying a tiny case with her. She wondered briefly why she suddenly had a rush of energy, but shook her head and focused on being silent. She crept through the hall, going back a few doors before quietly disappearing into the bathroom. She breathed a soft sigh of relief, and went to the mirror. Her fingers brushed her bangs off of her left eye.

And revealed a pale, silvery one that she would never be able to see out of again.

* * *

**Well, whaddaya think? -winks-**

**- Gabby**


	5. Chapter 5: The Real Her

**As I edit this chapter, it is 12/30/09. I noticed some errors in the chapter I hadn't noticed before, but now it's all fixed. I had to avoid my own confusion, along with the possible confusion with any viewers. To said viewers, if you reviewed Ch. 4 and the review was answered here, then I'm sorry that I won't be typing them up again. Maybe later, maybe never. Knowing me, I'd bet my money on the never part.**

**I still hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy Holidays!**

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

_**The Real Her**_

_**

* * *

**_

By the time she emerged out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom, Safyra noticed that it had begun raining once more. Her eyes narrowed warily, wondering why that had been so for the past two months. It was the spring season, and though they were currently in April now, she had no clue why it'd been raining unusually frequently in March and February. She shrugged it off and walked to the mirrors she had for her slide-on closest doors. Staring back at her was a tranquil-looking silver and white rabbit with ice-blue eyes. One eye was actually silver from her secret blindness, but it was amazing what contacts could do in 2773…

She then noted her hair. Choppy bangs on her blind side, in case someone would see her without her contacts; she wanted to make her blindness as secretive as possible. _People would treat me like a handicap if they knew, _she thought rather grouchily while lifting up her bangs to reveal the fake blue eye. Again her eyes narrowed, this time in disgust of how cowardly she hid her secret. _They'll be suspicious now, after that scene. _Through the mirror, her eyes wandered to her desk curiously; a pair of scissors was in one of the drawers, now that she thought of it…

_Maybe it's time for a change…_

_

* * *

_

Chandani, Tech, and Ace all sat down at the coffee table in the living room, each staring at their own cups of coffee.

"Chan…" Tech began, using his own nickname for her.

Chani looked up from her coffee to stare at her coyote companion. "Yeah, Tech?"

Tech didn't know how to phrase it; it was a bit complicated for him to tell her, though he knew it shouldn't be, really. "What's with the lone wolf shtick?" When he saw the white wolf give him an annoyed stare, he panicked a bit, "The pun wasn't intentional, I swear!"

A small smile crossed Chani's face. "Alright, go ahead with what you were saying."

"What's with you and Safyra always wanting to have us stay out of your business?" Tech said a bit more bluntly than before, almost making Ace – who was content at not saying anything at the moment and just staring at his black coffee – wince.

Chani's eyes drifted away from him. "I know…I know that we might seem like jerks when we do that…" Her eyes then drifted towards the window, a mixture of emotions shining in them. "But…we just don't wanna have anyone hurt again. We've…hurt a lot of people in our lifetimes, and the last time really made us snap into reality, you see." She then looked at Tech straight in the eye. Ace also let his eyes stare upward, listening in on the conversation. "Wave and I…we've always been like that – lone wolfish, I mean. But it's not like we don't trust you guys, Tech, it's just…we don't want you to get hurt."

"We can handle ourselves, y'know," Ace said quietly, though Chani and Tech looked at him in subtle surprise, since he hadn't said a word until that moment. "It's not like…you have to worry."

The smile that had graced Chani's face moments earlier returned, this time a bit wider but just a bit sadder. "I guess you're right. We really shouldn't worry. And…you have no idea…how much we'd love to open up to you guys…" Ace and Tech looked at her in shock, having not expecting that sort of comment. "We…we'd really love to do that. But…we're just not ready."

Ace cracked a dry smile. "Heh. Guess we're forced to wait, then."

"Wave wasn't always like this, y'know," Chani said suddenly, causing both boys to look up. "She wasn't always so calm, so secretive…" A chuckle sounded from her, "I was always a firebrand, but like you've seen, I can be scarily serious."

They both had to agree on that…

"Anyways," Chani went on, "When we – the others and I – first met her, she was this huge ray of sunshine. Always had something to be happy about, something to be grateful about…" she reached into her jeans pocket, pulling out her wallet. She took out some pictures and handed them to Ace and Tech. "This is how she was when we first met."

They stared at the then-Safyra with awe. Safyra back then, who looked about twelve to thirteen years old, had wide, childish eyes with a genuine happy sparkle. Her bangs were in the middle of her forehead, not to the side like they were now. She had three piercings on each ear, each filled by an earring that was either black or white. She wore a lot of rings and a lot of bracelets, all black and white. The outfit she had on was a white zip-on hoodie with sleeves that ended at the elbows and a hem that was short enough to let loose the last three inches of her black tank top underneath. And finally had denim capris.

"Cute…" Ace whispered absentmindedly, and blushed as he bit his lip; that had _not_ been intended to be spoken! He couldn't help it, though; Safyra really did look childishly cute in the picture. "It's very…erm…Mr. Fix-It, what's the word?"

"Yin-Yang," Tech said, smiling at the nickname Ace so affectionately called him. "She was into black and white, I guess?"

"Wore nothing but it," Chani agreed, nodding. "Anyways, she was always so happy. Like a little kid in a candy store nonstop." Her eyes became distant as she went further into the story, "It was only me and the others in the neighborhood at that time – y'know, the little forest suburb – and Safyra was one of the most popular kids in school. The others and I were always the serious, quiet people. We just kept to our little group and remained that way. Then Wave noticed us, and decided to come over. She said 'Hi, my name's Safyra. Mind if I join you?' Now, mind you, we thought she was gonna be one of those typical snobby preppies that just wanted to hang out with us to win a bet that would prove she could. It all changed when she saw our friend Mali getting picked on by who Wave thought were her friends. So Wave told them off, and she ended up losing her popular status, but she just smiled and said, 'Those girls were getting on my nerves anyway. They're so mean; I can't believe I called them my friends. You guys are much cooler.'" Another gentle smile came across her face. "Saf brought a bit of happiness back into our lives. When she moved into the neighborhood, I don't think we couldn't have been happier. Y'see, me, Dolyn, Chase, Mali, Tawny…" her eyes saddened, "we all had some problems…but when Wave came…the world just seemed…a bit kinder."

"What happened to make that stop?" Ace said sadly, mostly to himself. Chani understood why; she didn't need a magnifying glass. The serious, sad way that Safyra acted now just didn't seem natural of her to be. He, along with everyone else, always could see this bit of a happy, cheerful Safyra that didn't want to let anything drag her down, no matter how hard it must have been for her to handle it.

"Safyra came to high school one day…sad, depressed," Chani said, "She had her hair the way it is now…to the side and covering her left eye. It was about two years after founding the Hurricanes. For months, whenever she was about to laugh, she'd stop herself. Whenever she was about to smile, she'd hurriedly cover her mouth. She…didn't let herself be happy…and no one knows why…" She sighed, "I'd always thought it was because it was the first time Renni was hurt really badly."

"Renni?" Tech asked.

Ace's eyes widened, "The little girl I saw crying…back at the neighborhood…" He remembered how he'd stood there with Safyra, and watched those people mourning for her, the little kitten crying for her.

Chani nodded slightly. "Yeah. The Dusks were backing her into a corner and beat her up. One was about to swipe at her with a blade until someone got in the way."

"Someone?" Ace asked.

"She says she didn't see a face or anything, but she knows that the person who'd saved her took the blade in the eye. Not in the cornea or anything, but she said that the person would be blind," Chani said, but shrugged, "I dunno why I gave that detail, but that's what happened. Saf was always protective of Renni after that."

"Hm…" Tech muttered quietly, causing Ace to look at his friend curiously. There was that flicker in his eyes that meant he might be piecing something together. Ace had to admit to himself that the story could be suspiciously connected with a certain someone…

"What is it?" the rabbit leader asked.

"Oh?" Tech asked when suddenly knocked out of his reverie, "Oh, it's nothing, Ace. Don't worry." Though he smiled to help assure his words, the faraway look in the coyote's neon green eyes said otherwise. Ace shrugged and decided to interrogate him later.

Chani noticed the looks on their faces and was reminded of the silent conversations she could have with Safyra. "How long has it been?" she asked for the fourth time since the incident had happened.

"About an hour or two," Tech answered, glancing at Ace. He saw his friend look uncomfortable at that question; what had happened to Safyra had been one of the scariest situations he had been put in. And that was saying something for a Loonatic.

"She said she'd be fine by noon…" Chani murmured quietly, turning her head towards the hallway but diverting her eyes to the clock on the kitchen wall. "It's one thirty." She took a sip of her coffee before getting up, "I'll go check on her."

"No need to," came a familiar voice right before Safyra stepped out of the hallway, brushing her hair with her new hairbrush before she pulled it away and the brush became a silver square iPhone. She looked at it, smiling softly to herself, "Hey Tech, it was real cool of you for giving me the iPhoneHandy 5. Works like a charm." Every Loonatic now had one; it was like the original iPhone in the early 2000s, but after 690 years they had finally made a new one, called the iPhoneHandy. They'd upgraded it to shape shift into whatever the owner wills it to be, and the one Safyra currently held was the newest version yet.

"Uh…no problem, Saf," Tech said, confused just as everyone else on the coffee table that Safyra was acting like absolutely nothing had happened.

"Wave…" Chani stared, eyes widening and mouth gaping in shock. "Your bangs…your hair!"

Ace just stared at the picture before him.

Safyra's hair had changed; there was now bangs on both sides, both rising above her eyes so as to get a better view of her. Her hair wasn't in a ponytail or braid like it usually was, but it just lied loosely across her shoulders, and Ace noticed for the first time that her hair had a slight curl to the ends. And her eyes…they didn't look calm, secretive, serious…not at all. They shined with genuine happiness and openness.

Just like in the picture Chani had shown them.

She looked at them shyly, a look that didn't cross her face that often. "Well, whaddaya think?" she asked.

Chani was still in a shocked trance as she slowly made her way to her friend. When she rushed the last few steps to get near Safyra, the white wolf gently touched her friend's new bangs. She could clearly see her friend's face for the first time in the past two years. The last she had, they'd been fifteen. (They hadn't been back to high school because pre-college education now ended at seventeen.) "Wave…" Chani whispered, and for an unknown reason, her eyes started watering and she wrapped her friend in a big hug. "You're back…" she whispered, and made a choking sob, "Safyra…you're back."

She could see her friend now. She could see the ray of sunshine her friend had been, the genuine sparkle in her eyes…and her face in general. She could see the girl that had brought back kindness into her world again. Thinking that, Chani started crying. The bold and brave Chandani Juryssa, crying so harshly that she could've shaken the world with her pitiful sobs. She hadn't even cried this much when she'd seen her parents killed. She hadn't cried this much in…ever.

Safyra only just smiled softly and returned the hug gently, stroking her friend's back to make her calm down. "I guess I am." Tears silently formed in her eyes as well, as she realized how she'd let herself…go. Just go. Her happy disposition, the cheerful things she'd said…she'd let them flow out of her and away with the wind. The Safyra that should have been with Chani had hidden away in the back of her mind, the mind that belonged to the sad, unhappy Safyra. The Safyra that only had a bit of real happiness with those she knew she could trust and care for. "I…I am, Moonbeam. I really… really am."

Ace just stared at the two girls, one sobbing uncontrollably, one weeping silently.

He didn't think he could ever see them the same way again.

Chani was the one who acted tough, but had a side that was breaking because she couldn't truly see the person who'd given her a kinder world. Safyra was the one who acted sad and serious, but she had been hiding a happy, cheerful side after one of her 'sisters' was hurt. Why Safyra had let her friends – and herself – suffer like that, he didn't think he'd know right now.

But as he and Tech left to the lab to give the girls some time alone, and to truly be friends again, he vowed to himself that he would be able to give Safyra that much happiness too.

And to his side, Tech felt jealous. He too, had seen the other side of the girls, and was grateful that they had let those hidden sides show, but…Chani looked happy. The happiest she'd been in her stay there, when she'd seen the "returned" Safyra. He wished that _he_ would've been the one that had given Chani a kinder world. And that's when he promised that he'd give Chani an even kinder one, one that he'd protect her and make her happy just like Safyra had.

They both wanted to see those girls truly, truly happy.

* * *

"No!!" Divana shouted, slamming her first on marble stone rim. The rim surrounded a pool of glowing water that had showed her everything that had just happened. The picture of the girls crying together was replaced by a new image. The whole pool was only two colors; lavender and gold. The gold was more prominent than the lavender, as it had begun to the right side of the pool and it had crossed over to the left side, only to stop as the lavender immediately contrasted to it. But it seemed like the golden was fighting the lavender.

The light was fighting the dark.

And the dark absolutely _had_ to win!!!

"Damn! Damn! DAMN!" Divana kept screaming, pounding on the rim again, like a small child that just lost her favorite toy.

It wasn't until she was flung back by a slap on her cheek that she hushed up. After skidding on the wooden floors of the dark room she was in from the impact, Divana shakily pulled herself up, looking up at her attacker with a frightened look in her dark red eyes, brushing her platinum blonde (almost white) bangs out of the way.

She looked up to see another woman with piercing blue eyes and silky brown hair. "Eruki…" Divana began.

"Shut up, Divana," Eruki growled. "Stop behaving like a child. This whining is senseless."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd checked the pool lately," Divana said coolly, though it was clear she was holding back some anger.

Eruki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at first, but turned to the pool in a slightly hurried step. She rested her palms on the rim, staring intently into the pool. Her eyes widened as she saw the colors come up and how they were arranged. The expression of shock was soon replaced by one of utmost rage. She slammed onto the rim with an angry cry, nearly cracking the marble. Divana shrunk back, for her commanding officer's rage was something to be feared. "No!! NO!!" Eruki shouted, almost to tears in her anger. She whipped her head to Divana. "What happened to do this, Divana!?"

Even though the younger woman was trembling in fear, she mustered some courage to forcer her face into its usual distant look. "The Child of Waves changed her ways. Cut her hair so as to feel better about hiding her little secret. The Child of Storms was happy that she was able to 'see her true friend' again. This only added to the Child of Waves' happiness."

With a grunt of suppressed anger, Eruki nodded and returned to looking at the pool. "Show me what happened." The pool obeyed her and she was shown the morning that caused such decrease of darkness. When she was done, her eyebrows once again furrowed but this time in thought. "Hm…"

"Eruki?" Divana inquired, pulling herself up. She dusted off her long-sleeved gray shirt and her jeans. She preferred not to be so formal when 'working' like Eruki did. She preferred to wear the 'uniform' on important occasions.

"The lavender will be dominant after their battle," Eruki said quietly as she delicately agitated the pool with her index finger. "Her secret will be revealed…" she whispered.

Divana suddenly realized what was happening to her higher-ranked colleague; it was her scary side, which Eruki portrayed as both full of malice but yet of a gentle mysteriousness. It was too eerie even for the blackest of hearts; that was what Divana thought.

A cold, cruel smirk came across Eruki's features, but it was not from sensing Divana's rising fear. It was because she was formulating something sinister, something almost completely inhumane, "Her secret will be revealed…and the Loonatics will not take too kindly to it, I imagine. They don't understand her motives as it is; the relevance to a secret blindness is bound to completely deteriorate what little trust the Loonatics must have in her…even little Chandani might not forgive her." The pool suddenly vibrated to a scene where Safyra was looking in the mirror, smiling as she marveled at being able to see her own eyes perfectly. Chandani was on Safyra's bed, chatting to her about something.

"And let's not forget little Renni…" Eruki continued, this time more evil creeping into her voice. "Renni's condition is bound to fuel up dark vengeance as the battle rages on." Chuckles started escaping from her lips, and then Eruki evolved into giggles…

Divana was glad that her colleague didn't evolve into a total maniacal laugh; she'd forgotten to brink her earplugs…

* * *

Safyra and Chandani were in the rabbit's room, the former searching through her closet and the latter sitting contently at the bed.

Safyra's stomach was tussling with nervous excitement. This would be her first rumble in a year. It was both an exciting and fearful thing to be thinking of; the action was the thrill and the blood was the fear. Well, now that she'd thought of it, there hadn't ever been a rumble she was in that someone had died.

She hoped – especially considering what had happened only a few months ago – that such a thing wouldn't begin today.

"I'm glad I can see your eyes again, Safyra," Chani said, content with just seeing her friend almost the way she was before she had let herself succumb to partial stoicism. She hoped that, soon enough, the ray of sunshine that had entered her life those years ago would reenter it again. And not just for her, but for the other co-leaders as well. All of them, even the seemingly-hardened Tawny, had all wanted to see the cheerfully childish girl again.

It was a selfish thought.

To wish that her friend to be a different, no, the _same_ person so that only her world would look better, clearer. That was a very selfish thought. Chani didn't like being selfish, but at the same time she wanted to be.

"Hm?" Safyra had been blissfully oblivious, but then her friend's statement registered and she smiled brightly. A smile she hadn't let onto her face for years. And there was giggling, happy giggling that had been long missed.

It was too bad her family hadn't been able to see this show. They would've been so relieved, just as Chani herself was at the moment.

"Yeah, so am I," she said, returning to her closet and pulling out a black duffel bag. "Here's our stuff." Her eyes narrowed at the bag, _It should've been destroyed in the fire. Well, Zadavia said that she'd given us everything we needed._ She unzipped the bag and started pulling out some other clothes, _So that means that we will need this again…maybe. _She looked at the clothes she'd just pulled out, both were black with silver writing on it. Japanese writing, called "kanji."

Pulling up the clothing, she revealed that they were thin coats. Both were designed the same way; the torso resembled a long-sleeved cheongsam, while the bottom was a long skirt that completely revealed one's legs, with only the front and back being covered by something resembling a long loincloth. They also had different symbols in the back, one a silver crescent moon partially covered with white clouds, and the other had a turquoise raindrop that seemed to be surrounded by white commas that acted as single quotation marks. Over the symbols were the kanji for:

_The Moon's Fang._

_The Rain's Fury._

Then there were the pants. Both outfits had very baggy pants, not hugging on the legs at all, almost like hakama.

She gave the Moon's Fang coat to Chani, while keeping the Rain's Fury for herself. Safyra smiled. "This's gonna be fun!"

"Fun?" Chani asked dubiously, cocking an eyebrow. Now she was doubting her friend's mental health; giggling like _that_ after saying that a deadly situation would be _fun_ were at the very top of her list of "Symptoms of Insanity."

Safyra closed her eyes, smiling and nodding. "Hmm-hmm. The Dusks don't stand a chance!"

"Don't be so sure of that…" Chani whispered quietly, though she was glad Safyra was confident about the night to follow. One would have to be in order to survive such an intensity they would have to face.

Safyra's smile was threatening to become a smirk, but she fought it back and just shrugged, lifting up her coat so she tried it on.

"Safyra…?" Chani asked quietly.

Safyra froze for a moment – her arm barely inside one sleeve – knowing that Chani was serious when she used her full name. Her light mood dampened and she looked at her friend with serious eyes, "Chandani?"

"Why did you draw that picture?"

Safyra stiffened, and her eyes' gleam dulled a significant amount. She clutched the sleeve slightly as she spoke quietly, "I didn't really draw it…"

The white wolf cocked an eyebrow incredulously, "Uh…say what now?" What did Safyra mean? The picture drew _itself?_ If that were the truth, she'd eat two pairs of her good Vans shoes.

The rabbit girl was silent for a moment, trying to think of how to explain herself without sounding off her rocker. Well, judging how that scene in the morning had gone, she already looked the part to the Loonatics. Might as well come clean. "I was listening to a song, and closed my eyes. I wasn't expecting to draw anything, but I let my hands flow. I let them scrabble all over that paper without even noticing. And then I saw it the picture and I felt something…evil, come over me." She shrugged, "In short, I think the picture drew itself."

Chani would have to get used to eating her shoes…

A shudder went down her spine from thinking that, catching Safyra's attention from her daze.

"Huh? Moonbeam, you okay?"

"Do you think leather and cloth is good for the teeth?" the wolf asked curiously, tilting her head to the side with a perfectly straight face, resulting in a very freaked out rabbit on the other side of the room.

Safyra titled her head to the side too, her expression holding slight curiosity and doubt. Silence went on for a few moments before she shrugged and continued to slip on her uniform. "I dunno, but lemme know when the stupid thing's done with." She giggled at her own remark, and Chani joined in; the two girls spent the next moments just contentedly chuckling at nonsense.

And it felt exactly how it was: The real her, the real Safyra, was back.


	6. Chapter 6: Let's Get Ready To Rumble

**Woo…Sorry about this, those who still bother to read this fic. I hope you enjoy this; it was a bit difficult to write, and we all know I'm not the best writer, but I approve of what came out of this. I sincerely hope you do as well.**

**COWAS is the initial for this fic. As a result of the server being slow, I'll be doing this to promote instant publication. Originally for breaks I'd be marking a tilde, but since it's not viewable on the site, I had to use the break lines. Now that the server's been so sluggish, I decided to do something different. **

**As a result, I doubt I'll be answering reviews publicly; instead I'll more than likely reply privately. This is a New Years/Valentine's Day present to you all.**

**Love, Gabby - "Lunarobi Pride"**

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Let's Get Ready To Rumble**_

_Ace sighed as he stood outside Safyra's bedroom door. Chandani had exited a _long time ago. Apparently the white wolf was feeling very hungry and decided she couldn't fight very well on an empty stomach. Ace could agree with that, but he had his doubts about the amount of food Chani was already eating at their kitchen. No one should eat that much before a battle, unless they wanted themselves to throw it up on someone as a weapon. Chani was already indulging on eight boxes, all large portions of Chinese take-out, and about three gallons of three different sodas. He was glad that she'd bought all the food herself, or the Loonatics would have been flat broke at the moment. One thing he was absolutely sure about the normally-mysterious white wolf – she had one heck of an appetite that seemed to rival Slam's. And that was saying something.

Focusing his thoughts on the current situation, Ace was debating on what to say to the gang member that lived inside the room. He didn't want to her and Chani to go and get themselves killed; at least, if they were going anyways, he'd make sure the team was there for backup. But nagging on the back of Ace's mind was Safyra's impending, and negative, answer. His eyes narrowed; he didn't care whether or not Safyra would accept not going to the rumble. He was the leader, and he needed to take action. He was responsible for his teammates, despite whatever headstrong attitude any of them might possess. With his newfound confidence, Ace raised his wrist and knocked thrice on the metal door. "Comin'," a voice called from inside, and a few seconds later the door slid open to reveal Safyra staring curiously. Her eyes brightened at seeing him. "Oh! Ace," she said, and scooted out of the way, "Come on in."

Ace smiled, "Thanks." He padded into the room as Safyra patted the bed, to indicate that he should sit on it. Ace complied and Safyra sat on the floor, Indian-style.

"Whaddaya need?" she asked politely.

"…" All he could do at the moment was stare at her with worry and sadness.

Her eyes seemed to narrow in concern to what he'd been looking at her with. "Ace, is there something wrong?"

"…You don't have to go fight, y'know," Ace said quietly. This earned a slightly aggravated sigh from Safyra, her head turning away from him as she stared hard at the floor beside her.

"I know I don't. But I will." She looked up at him with the fiercest determination Ace had ever seen in his life. "I'm willing to _die_ for this gang. I love them like they were my family. Everyone's very close, like there's this invisible web that connects us all. When someone snaps a single strand of that web, it hurts all of us." Her ice-blue eyes started lighting up with her newfound passion. "I'm gonna mend that strand; we'll all be connected again." Her nerves calmed down, and the determined, harsh stare she'd been giving Ace softened. "Please, Ace." She got up and cupped his shoulder with her tiny hand, giving it a gentle pat. "Please let me fight."

Ace looked up at her. "But I can't let you get hurt; I'm responsible for everybody on this team."

"But this isn't about the Loonatics – it's about the Hurricanes. It's better if nobody gets involved," her eyes softened even more and she suddenly gave him a gentle hug. "I can't let you get hurt either…" she whispered.

The Loonatic leader tentatively wrapped his arms around her shoulders as well. "Saf…you and Chani aren't alone anymore. Why can't you accept it?"

"I won't let myself accept it until everything's back to normal," Safyra said, parting from the embrace and standing straight in front of him. "…When your family's suddenly torn away from you like a piece of paper…you feel alone no matter how many friends you've made. No matter how much family you've gained. But…" she was starting to shake, "You start to want to make sure nothing ever happens to the new family. You've lost one already and now…now you won't let them go so easily." She looked at him straight in the eyes, tears starting to glisten inside them. "I won't let go of the Loonatics so easily! I won't let go of the Hurricanes so easily! I won't let go so easily anymore!!" Her tirade was interrupted as Ace suddenly leapt up and hugged her around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Then I won't either," Ace said quietly into her ear, sending shivers down Safyra's spine for a reason she couldn't explain. "I'm not gonna let you go without our help. Let us help you, at least, Saf."

"I…" Safyra said, still at a loss for words in Ace's arms. "I can't let you." She tried to pry herself from Ace's hold, but to no avail. "Ace, please let go…" she whined, pushing herself even further from him.

"I wanna help you," Ace pleaded, but Safyra firmly shook her head. She squirmed in his embrace for a few moments longer before she finally used all her energy into pulling her body away from him, eventually succeeding. She was now on the floor, glaring up at him with a pout on her lips.

"Too bad," the tiny silver and white rabbit retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "We can handle ourselves. We can!" She was starting to get angry now, he knew it. "Renni's condition…it's unforgivable! Plus…I think those Dusks…" She shook her head firmly. "Those Dusks might be responsible for something personal." She got up quickly and started leaving the room. Ace asked her what the personal reason was, but she turned back with the old, sad look darkening her ice-blue eyes. "I…can't tell you, Ace."

Suddenly, Ace remembered what Chani had said, in their discussion in the living room hours before.

"…_You have no idea…how much we'd love to open up to you guys…"_

"_We…we'd really love to do that. But…we're just not ready."_

With a sad but kind smile, Ace looked up at Safyra's disheartened eyes. "Okay then, Saf. You don't have to." Safyra slowly mimicked his smile, giving him silent thanks for his conceding. She then looked at the digital clock she'd bought for her room on her desk.

"It's already four. We'd better get a move on." She stood up and Ace noticed for the first time the outfit she had on. It reminded him of the robes some of the ancient Japanese swordsmen used to wear, but it was clearly modified. Safyra opened the metal door, and she turned her head to smile at him. "Well, c'mon. I'm not locking you up in here." Ace cracked a smile and followed suit. They walked in silence as they crossed the hall into the kitchen. Chani was waiting for them, in a similar outfit like Safyra's. However, spread across different areas of the room were the rest of the Loonatics, all looking apprehensive about what was to come. Safyra nodded to Chani, which the white wolf returned. Simultaneously they walked to the door, where it was overcast again. Chani opened the door, and waited for Safyra to follow her. However, the silver rabbit took a few moments to smile and wave at everyone cheerfully, forcing Chani to do the same, before they headed out.

But they hoped they'd see them walk back in again…

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

_It's so cloudy…_ she thought, her blue eyes staring blankly at the window revealing the gray sky. _It's been cloudy…ever since Ice and Snow's families disappeared…it's been like that. _She titled her head slightly. _It's like the skies are matching their feelings…_ Renni Jacobs looked away sadly, indirectly staring at her bed. "That's kinda scary," she thought aloud, dragging her feet back to the comfy piece of furniture. She crawled on top of it until she curled her knees to her chest in the middle of it. For extra comfort, the white cat anthro wrapped her long tail around herself as well. _But what was that burst of sunshine a few hours ago? If the skies __**are**__ matching their feelings, which is possible and yet impossible at the same time, then today was a very out-of-the-ordinary day for them. Interesting…_ glancing dully at the looming clouds, she whispered, "It's all my fault, isn't it?"

Crawling upwards and then kneeling down on the mattress to get a better look at the heavens, Renni felt a large pang of regret inside her heart. _I'm always the one that causes everyone else trouble, and I hate it. I hate myself. _She gently placed a white hand over her chest, over the heart that had caused so many unfortunate situations because she'd chosen to follow its words. _Ice…_ she looked at the sky, trying to imagine the silver rabbit smiling down at her, listening to her.

Renni desperately hoped that her sister figure could forgive her for the wrong she'd done to her…those years ago.

_I made you so sad, didn't I, Ice? You locked yourself up because of me. All because of me,_ the white cat felt her tears threatening to come out, but she quickly brushed them away. "But it's your fault too," she thought aloud again. _You don't tell anyone. You force yourself to be all alone in your head. _"And for some reason…I think everyone is gonna find out today too…"

She nodded at the sky, as if she were concluding her conversation, and curled her knees to her chest once more. "Ice, I know it was you who got blind because of me…And I know everyone else will know, too. But…nonetheless, good luck."

Dolyn was on his way out of his room, if her hearing of his footsteps was correct. Her father being a rabbit and her mother being a cat, it was only sensible if both she and Dolyn's hearing was more acute than the rest of their anthro peers. She was expecting him to head down the stairs, but she noticed them becoming louder instead of softer. _I have a visitor,_ she thought, and quickly and silently grabbed a book from her nearby shelf, trying to disguise her having been more active than she should have been. The footsteps were soon outside her door, but before she let her elder brother knock, Renni simply said, "Come in, Dolyn."

A light chuckle was heard from the other side of the door, and she soon saw her brown rabbit of a brother enter. Renni was greeted with the same carefree, cheerful expression he usually wore nowadays. She remembered he would be so sullen until he met Ice. "You're a cheater, Renni; you should still be resting."

"How can I stay sleepy when your sasquatch rabbit feet are so loud?" Renni quietly retorted, earning another chuckle from her brother as he went over to sit next to her at the edge of the bed. They shared a pleasant silence before Renni murmured, "You won't get hurt, right?" She knew that her brother and the other co-founders could handle themselves fine in a brawl, just like she could, but that didn't stop the petite cat from worrying about them. Having observed them over the years attentively, Renni could write a book about how reckless and foolhardy they could be. "Dolyn, answer me." Her brother wasn't answering for some reason; he normally didn't hesitate that long. It scared her.

He turned his head with a pleasant smile, his eyes closed. "Relax, Ren. I'll be fine."

"And Ice? She won't get hurt either," Renni said, and his eyes opened and darkened all in one instant. _Did they fight or something?_ the younger of the siblings thought, tilting her head to the side. Finally, Dolyn responded.

"Depends if she's practiced her fighting or not. Ever since the meteor hit, she and Chani disappeared inside that Loonatics tower," the dark tone with which he said it wasn't making Renni feel any more comfortable. He normally didn't speak of Ice or Snow like that, no matter how negative the comment would be. "Any moment they'll be fighting Weather Vane, forgetting about our brawl, just watch."

Anger suddenly coursed through Renni's veins. "You honestly think they'd abandon the Hurricanes just like that?" she hissed.

Her older brother became equally annoyed. "Would you blame them? They're officially in the lap of luxury. Who knew having your family disappear could get you that far, hm?"

That was definitely unusual. Without warning, the young white cat found her blood boiling with rage. She was always the calmest member, but what her brother said was just too far out of line. How disappointing of him! "Wow. Just…wow, Dolyn. That's cruel!" Renni snapped. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I bet you're jealous, because you think she has a soft spot for that Ace Bunny, hm? Well, okay, she does. But you think he returns it."

"He _does_ return it, dammit."

"And you're bashing your best friends for _that_!?" despite her weak state, new energy was coursing through Renni's veins as her anger for her beloved brother continued to stretch throughout her body. She nearly got up and smacked him across the face, but she decided it wasn't worth it and glared at him instead. "_Grow up,_ Dolyn. Ice isn't the type to abandon any friends, and you know it!!" she screamed. "Out! Out of my room! Good luck at your god-be-damned brawl!!"

Dolyn looked like a mixture of being hurt and enraged, but he decided to quietly exit the room, slamming the door as he did, leaving Renni panting heavily as she stared with anger at the door, before collapsing in a tired heap.

She took a long time to regain her composure, her chest's rising and falling gradually slowing down as she began to think of what had just happened. Then, upon realizing this, she let out a large gasp. "I…I've made him angry…" she whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth. "I got angry, and I made him angry…I cause everyone trouble…and I hate it…" Soon enough, crystalline tears began pouring down her white cheeks, and her sobs rang through the now-empty house.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Tawny, Mali, and Chase were all quietly waiting in the headquarters of their gang, all dressed in cloaks similar to that Chani and Safyra would wear. Tawny's was…well, tawny; Mali's was a bight golden yellow, and Chase's was a flaming scarlet. Gathered around them there were around sixty pets, all dressed in black clothing. Only the six founders got to wear their outfits, in order to distinguish them. Tawny was _The Desert's Claw, _Mali was _The Sun's Strike, _and Chase was _The Flame's Cry_. Every single member of the Hurricanes were getting edgier by the second, waiting for the other three leaders – especially Safyra and Dolyn – to make it to the hideout.

Just as they decided to give up, Dolyn came through wearing his green outfit, _The Earth's Roar._ He looked around, his blue eyes unusually hard. "Where're the other two?" he muttered, almost growling. Mali was the first to notice. Knowing Tawny or Chase, they'd tell him to "cut the crap" or something. She knew that it would only infuriate Dolyn more. So before her other comrades could respond, her green-amber eyes cheerful and her strange golden-and-white pelt glowing.

"They should be here soon, Rock, trust me," she said, but acted as though she had just noticed the angry look on his face. "Did…did you argue with somebody? You seem upset." Instantly, he whirled on her, fist aimed for her face. Luckily, Mali's instincts kicked in and she deflected his attack with her arm, looking up at him with an uncharacteristically dangerous expression. Her red hair seemed to alight with a new flame when she glared up at him; she was the tiniest in the group. "Well, apparently you did. But that doesn't give you any right to take it out on me, _Mr. Jacobs_." Tawny and Chase were immediately alarmed. When Mali resorted to using honorifics, there were no doubts that she was fired up and nearly ready to kill. The other fox ran to intervene, in front of Mali and glaring fiercely at Dolyn.

Chase could've broken his arm, but kept his cool. "_Dolyn_, don't you even think about hurting Ray, dammit." Ray was the name given to Mali. Both of the boys' blue eyes bore into each other, their matching dark brown hair nearly obscuring them if one was looking from a distance. The orange-and-black fox's fur bristled as Dolyn glared at Mali from above, causing the other, normally demure fox to take a battle ready stance. "I…I don't want to hurt my best friend, got it?" he muttered.

Still observing from where Mali and Chase had originally been, Tawny wasn't sure what to do. This wasn't the type of situation where she could just barge in, like she normally would. She had to think. And the roadrunner absolutely hated thinking things through; she'd rather go with her gut. _Tsunami…Snow…_ she thought, looking up at the sky, _We need you right now, if everyone's going to calm down. Especially Rock and Blaze._ Blaze was Chase's name. Just as she thought that, she saw two black birds flying through the sky. Rather big black birds, with the size they were gaining as they came closer. One seemed to be carrying the other, which was unusual. Her yellow eyes widened when she realized that those weren't birds.

"Why the hell are those two flying?!" she blurted, causing the rest of the Hurricanes to snap their attention in their direction. Instantly, Tawny reached for her shell, and made the noise that would tell their other co-founders that everyone else was accounted for.

The rate that Safyra and Chani were going at increased as they heard to horn, and they soon landed with immense grace, the silver rabbit leaping towards the ground while the white wolf kept flying until she landed some feet away from her partner. They were met by a loud, nervous silence.

"Oh, that's right," Chani whispered to herself, "We never showed them what the meteor did to us."

Safyra nodded. "Sorry, Hurricanes, for not having told you all of how the meteor-shower a few weeks ago affected us," she called out, and looked around. There was a puddle in the corner of the hideout, and she lifted her hand towards it, the heads of other Hurricanes following suit, concentrating on it. She tried to remember how Tech instructed her to control her powers; relax, concentrate, feel one with the water. Thinking the process, the water from the puddle lifted, and sprang towards her, twirling itself over her arm like a tiny boa constrictor. With her fingers, she guided for the water to glide above everyone's heads, earning 'ooos' and 'aahs' as she did so. Chani achieved the same thing when she lifted herself in the air and began doing midair acrobatics, along with blowing out a bunch of old leaves from the fall season away from the gutters of the hideout with a grand sweep of her arm, then guiding the leaves with her mind and the wind to create a neat pile. "This is why the Loonatics recruited us; our families are gone, so we had nowhere to go where we knew one hundred percent we would be accepted."

Dolyn's eyes filled with understanding, and the fight amongst the co-founders was gone. But still, hurt found its way into his heart. "Tsunami…I've been your best friend for a long time now." She turned around, meeting his eyes with a look that held a bit of guilt. "You didn't think we wouldn't have taken you in?"

"There are people trying to kill us, Rock," snapped Chani. "They would've killed you too, just like our families!"

According to Will's note, however, not all of their families were dead, thought Safyra, remembering that day with unnatural clarity. Dolyn looked at her with shock, but Safyra nodded almost coldly. "She's right, Dolyn. We had to move in with the Loonatics; they could handle themselves if whoever's trying to find us came back. There was a sense of security there. Unlike your family," she spoke swiftly, but it stung Dolyn's heart, "who would've tried to fight, but failed. Knowing me, I would've stayed up every night, making sure no one came back to track me down. You know that, my best friend."

"But now you don't want to leave!" spat Dolyn.

The two new Loonatics looked at each other, and then looked at the brown rabbit with matching quizzical looks. "Snow, you fell for the coyote," he pointed out to Chani, who's eyes widened before a pink tinge came to her fur, and she was forced to look away, to let her brown hair obscure her face. "And…and Tsunami," he looked at said other rabbit with such pain, and tears nearly welled up in his eyes, "_you_ fell for that bastard…_Ace._"

Quick as lightning, the brown rabbit's face was thrown back with Safyra's hand, a clear smack ringing through the concrete walls. Gasps of shock rang through the hideout as Dolyn looked back to see the tinier Safyra glaring up at him with blind fury.

Her ice-blue eyes literally resembled ice. "If I _ever_ hear Ace being called a bastard again, specifically from_ your_ mouth, Dolyn," she shouted, though it sounded like she was trying to whisper it, "You will lose all respect from me, and I will _never_ regard you as my best friend again." Her eyes then thawed, becoming warmer, sadder, "Why…why would you say something like that…to _me_?"

"Because I love you, Safyra Linat!" he blurted, before realizing what he just said and his expression became horrified.

Gasps again resounded off the walls.

Chani nearly couldn't stand.

Safyra ultimately fell to the ground, her knees having gave way. Her eyes looked at the stone floor, wide and horrified. Dolyn…loved her? _What…? No…no! That's not supposed to happen!_ She looked up at him with the same scared look in her eyes. "Dolyn…don't do that to me. That's just not fair." She had to get a grip; everyone was counting on her, and the Dusks were waiting. Slowly, she stood up, and assumed straight, perfect posture. "We're settling the matter against the Earth's Roar and the Rain's Fury later. We need to head out. Moon's Fang, help me with the teleportation."

The white wolf looked at her with wide green eyes, absolutely shocked. But Safyra merely nodded and Chani understood. "Alright, then." They both separated themselves, instructing everyone to gather in a circle. Confused questions rang through the air. What was going on? What teleportation? How was it going to work? "Just shut up and get in the center!" Chani barked, and that was that. No one dared mess with her, because they all knew of her tough temper. They were all amazed that she hadn't clawed Dolyn's throat out after what he had done to Safyra emotionally. Soon enough, everyone was in the center, close to each other. Now Safyra was on one side and Chani on the other. In unison, they both raised their hands, and closed their eyes, concentrating as they mumbled to themselves to keep each other going.

A white light soon encircled the Hurricanes, engulfing them all. There was a bright flash.

And the Hurricane hideout was soon desolate.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

The light orb appeared in an uninhabited grassy field on the outskirts of Acmetropolis, and then it was no more. The Hurricanes looked all over, amazed at what they had just been through. Amidst the amazed cries and praise for Chani and Safyra's powers, Tawny, Chase, and Mali walked over to Safyra, whose eyes weren't as lively as they could've been. They pulled her aside, and she looked at them almost pathetically. Tawny bit her lip, and then lunged out to embrace her.

"Tsunami…I'm so sorry," she whispered, and Safyra dug her face into the crook of her neck, not crying, not whimpering…she just stayed there.

Mali didn't know what to say, but her boyfriend did. "Don't mind it, Ice," Chase murmured. "I don't think you should dwell on it." Safyra's eyes looked up at him, as if she wanted to cry. "He called you out, he called the guy you supposedly like out, and then he says he loves you." He twirled his finger over his ear in circles. "As much as I love the guy, he's a bit…off his rocker…if he thinks he can win you back by doing all that crazy crap."

Normally quiet Mali eagerly nodded. "Yup. I personally see him as a jerk."

"No, guys, don't look at him that way," Safyra insisted, Tawny still holding her close. "He's probably more in turmoil than I am. I can see where he's coming from…at least now I know why he looked so jealous when the Loonatics saw me and him dance-off…that seems ages ago, doesn't it? It makes sense. But be sensitive to him, too; he's hurting. A lot. And he's been hurting for a while, if that's how he feels about this whole situation."

All of them weren't very sure about what their silver friend had said. They loved Safyra; she'd given them all some light in their world. But Dolyn had been with them most of their lives, and they loved him too. They hadn't felt so torn in their lives.

Their silence was interrupted when a large crowd of people cloaked in gray – all humans, unlike the Hurricanes – emerged from the horizon. Safyra instantly took charge. "Hurricanes, move out!" she cried, and with the co-founders in front – Dolyn far away from Safyra, who was at the center – they walked towards the Dusks. It was beautiful, the way everyone looked so strong, so powerful. Safyra found it ironic. As strong as they appeared, she knew that everyone was praying not to lose their lives. Unless they had a death wish. Knowing some of the more unstable members, Safyra knew that some might. Some.

Finally the two rival gangs met. The Dusks were slightly bigger than the Hurricanes. Safyra tried not to laugh; they thought they could intimidate by size. No. She knew that her gang had the best strength. She stepped forward, and then a blue-haired young man stepped forward from the Dusk side, his red eyes boring into her ice-blue.

Xavier Lowander.

The man who had hurt Renni.

The man she was sure hurt Renni again yesterday.

The man who had made her unable to see out of one eye.

The bastard she would kill to kill.

"Hey, Ms. Bunny," he spat mockingly, "It's nice to see your bushy tail again." His taunts earned a few chuckles from the Dusks, angering the rabbit more.

"It's nice to see your ass for a face too, Xavier," Safyra spat coolly, smirking as she did so, as the whole of the Hurricanes shared a laugh. "So, we have our terms, of course. We've changed them." The human was taken aback. "That's right. Ms. Nice Bunny isn't being very nice this time. You've hurt one of her little babies. So, because of this, when we win, you and the Dusks will be no more. You can choose to disband, and never join any other gang or create another gang. That goes for every single member. _Or_…you can get all your racist hides out of Acmetropolis and never come back. That also goes for every single member. Don't worry; I'm sure you won't be missed."

Xavier had a hard time choosing, but nodded. He was violent, but not stupid. "I know the Dusks would rather disband and stay in Acmetropolis." His gang all murmured their agreement.

_Wimps,_ Safyra thought. "The Hurricanes have decided to stay out of Acmetropolis and stay together. We don't cause much trouble anyway." A proud chorus from the Dusks resounded across the field, echoing for miles. "We have our terms, then." Xavier nodded, and the two slowly stepped back, their eyes locked on the other, until they melted into their gang again.

"On the count of three," Safyra said, when she really meant _On the count of one._ Whenever they fought, each gang was entitled to use whatever trick they wanted to, as long as it didn't involve atomic or nuclear weapons and bombs of any sort. Guns were also added into the mix. It was just ghetto weapons. "One," she breathed, and the whole of the Hurricanes rushed passed her, leaving a grinning Safyra. "Let's get ready to rumble," she whispered, before drawing out her previously-hidden sword and joining the fray of black and gray figures.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Inactivity in Acmetropolis always irked Ace to no end. But he was really angry at the idea now, since there was absolutely nothing to distract him from the fact that his two new charges could have died already, having insisted on going on their own like stubborn women. No; them being women had nothing to do with it, he should remind himself that. Those two wanted to protect the very protectors of the city. How ironic. Arrogant, even, if they think that mere gang members could kill off the Loonatics. But at the same time, they knew better; they were gang members. They were strong, but claimed to not be the best fighters around. It scared him but made him laugh at the same time. The idea of street urchins being better at fighting than trained professionals was laughable yet frightening.

Gang members, when he thought of it…they used whatever they could to crumble opponents to pieces. The Loonatics could do that too, but they had too much morals in protecting the city, along with its inhabitants. Morality was a myth in the world of gangs.

That's probably what Safyra was aware of, and tried to prevent. But it only worried Ace more; the thought of Safyra and Chani being exposed to violence of that magnitude, even though they could probably handle themselves, frightened him to no end. Knowing of Tech's fondness of the tough wolf, the coyote was probably trying not to bite his claws. Ace knew that was his case. If only he had crossed his figures when he made the promise not to go after them.

His eyes glowed red and he stared hard at the plant across the room for mere decoration. "Dammit!" he screamed as his infrared beams burned the foliage into a crisp. Immediately Lexi ran in, blue eyes wide in concern for her cousin. Since she too had noticed the inactivity, she was out of her suit, merely in a lavender sweater hoodie, jeans, and fuzzy pink socks. Her hair, unusually, was let loose in flaxen curls.

"Ace, what's wrong?" she asked.

Glaring, Ace tried not to snap. "Saf and Chani wanted to go off alone. She made me promise for it to stay that way." Tired, he flopped on the sofa, curling his knees closer to him like a small child, reminding Lexi of the day he was scared when his parents had the biggest fight both cousins had witnessed. It shocked her, that he would be so vulnerable in this situation. His parents fighting was understandable, but she didn't think he worried so much about those girls.

_No. He's worried about Safyra,_ she thought. Despite the dire situation, Lexi couldn't help but think it was cute of her tough cousin to be pacing around and cursing for a girl. But she would have to put aside the girly fondling for a while and focused on being concerned for both her cousin and friends. Sighing, she walked over to him before sitting next to him on the couch, her knees to her chest as well as she pressed herself against his side, like she had that one day when they had been little rabbits. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered, at a loss for words. "They're strong. I can feel it whenever I look at them, at their eyes. You can feel it too, Ace, don't deny it. You're letting your feelings get in the way, that's all."

Red instantly flooded across his cheeks, "I-I-I don't know what you're t-ta-talking about." The way he sputtered it out put him to shame as a leader. Lexi scoffed.

"Dumbass. I'm your cousin. Don't think I can't tell," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "You get all googly-eyed whenever you come out of her room. Deny that, and I'll slap you," she added quickly as Ace opened his mouth for retort.

Ace's ears drooped. "Okay, so I like her, alright? Dammit, you were always too smart for your own good," he muttered darkly, not looking at his cousin.

"That's what makes us cousins, I guess," Lexi replied, smiling brightly. Realizing her smile wouldn't be contagious to her cousin like usual, she sighed, the smile disappearing. "Alright, listen; I can locate them, and we can see what happens. I've placed trackers on them."

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Ducking to her right, Safyra barely missed the crowbar aimed at her head. "Phew," she breathed, before swinging her leg to hit Xavier square in the jaw. "That was a bit low, Xavier," she remarked, right as he fell to the ground.

He recovered, looking at her from over his shoulders, baring his teeth menacingly as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. His red eyes were nearly glowing, sending chills down Safyra's spine. "You'll pay for that one, damn anthro." Suddenly, his eyes' glow intensified, making Safyra take a step back. That wasn't normal.

That wasn't normal at all.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Divana watched in horror as Eruki was engulfed in black mist, her eyes turning completely black. "Eruki! What the hell are you doing?!" she cried, her red eyes widening in horror. The question was rhetorical. She knew what her colleague was doing.

She possessed somebody. Such a spell could not only get the subject killed, but the caster as well. Eruki was her leader. She couldn't die. But then again, this was just her nature.

"If you want it done right, you do it yourself, Divana!" rasped the brunette superior. Her voice…it sounded near demonic.

Despite her cackling fits, Divana had to admit to herself that such a sound was the absolute worst she had ever heard.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Lexi and Ace watched on in horror as they witnessed Xavier – that was what they remembered his name to be – become strangely different, his eyes glowing intensely as if to reflect his unsubstantial rage. Although Lexi was holding him tightly as they hovered over the battle scene with their jetpacks on, Ace was all too tempted to rush in and kill Safyra's opponent in order to protect the silver rabbit.

His beige cousin knew better, though. Better to leave things to someone who could supposedly handle it than to someone who was completely inexperienced with it.

{…C…O…W…A…S…}

Safyra watched in horror as his face suddenly became contorted – at least more than usual – into the visual of complete rage. It was terrifying, even to her. She could feel the energy surging through him. If she was right, he hadn't any powers. Such energy was only emitted from people who had powers like her and the Loonatics. She was sure everyone in the battlefield could feel its surge as well, as gazes were slowly being felt on her back, front, and sides.

At least she knew she wasn't crazy.

"You have a secret, don't you, anthro?" Xavier spoke, so loudly that Safyra didn't doubt that people in the heavens could hear it. "A secret you don't want anyone to know. A secret you think will label you. A secret you think emotions will be contorted over."

Safyra's mind wandered back to the day Renni had first been injured, all those years ago. Xavier was there. Xavier had been the one to hurt her eye. _Xavier had seen her being hurt. He knew her secret._ "No," she whispered in horror. She reached for her switchblade, which she had hidden for extreme cases. Two things could happen. One, she would kill him before he even opened his mouth, or two, she would need to kill him when he went into berserker mode. Safyra could feel either coming.

Without warning, and without even giving Safyra enough time to blink, his crowbar – thank God, the blunter side – hit the side of her face, blood spilling out instantly. The move sent a wave of gasps throughout the field, and Ace and Lexi were frozen in midair from shock.

The other five co-founders instantly rushed towards her, but were blocked when Dusks and Hurricanes alike stopped them, each agreeing that this was a fight between their two leaders, and them alone.

Safyra was grasping her left eye with her matching hand, crimson fluid running through her fingers, barely releasing a whimper. She was down. Xavier, the Hurricanes, the Dusks, and the two Bunny cousins were all convinced that she wouldn't fight anymore after a blow like that.

However, the silver-and-white rabbit did the exact opposite of their expectations. A twisted, sickening grin formed across her face. "Xavier Lowander…" she murmured, chuckling a bit, "If you remember…" She lifted her hand away from her eye, revealing a bloodied eye; what many didn't notice is the contact lens in her palm, "You _blinded_ me; I feel no pain in this eye, and it's no news that I can't see."

Yet another wave of gasps surged through the battlefield and above. Safyra Linat, rumored to be one of the most cunning, the most skillful of all fighters, was blind?! Blind. Blind as a bat. The thought was hard to wrap their heads around.

"You blinded me, Xavier, when I defended Renni from death all those years ago," she confessed loudly. She knew the cost of this. Now, she feared, she would be treated like a handicapped. Everyone would want to help her around with the simplest tasks. All because of half-blindness. A silly thing, it was, but a true concept it was as well. People were paranoid. And now she was going to become a victim of their paranoia. As bleak as the future seemed at the moment, Safyra was ready to face it. "It was me. I did it. This is why I shut myself out. Now – to your gratification, Xavier – I'll be treated like a minority. Like I don't get that enough from being an anthro." Her eyes narrowed, and finally, she was able to see through her opponent's unexpected rage. "You're not Xavier."

Everyone stiffened. Of course that was Xavier. He'd been with them the entire battle. How could it not be? Chani couldn't help but exchange a worried glance with Dolyn, even though she was still downright pissed at him.

"Who are you?" Safyra demanded coolly, eyes furrowed and dangerous. She finally recognized this energy, this rage. "You're responsible for my family's disappearance, aren't you?" There was no response, and she became easily aggravated as memories of a few months ago flashed through her head. The cloaked figures shooting them, one grabbing her, her brothers rescuing her. "Where are they?!" she shouted, desperate to know what her older brother, Will, had meant when he said that they were all alive. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

For the sake of her own sanity, she needed to know.

And though she wasn't showing it, it was the same case for Chani.

'Xavier' didn't respond for a few moments, until a cruel smirk crossed his features that sent shivers down everyone's spines. "Child of the Waves, Child of the Storms," he boomed, in a voice that was of a woman, "Your destiny's have not been changed, and I, Eruki, will make it so. You will destroy the world as you know it, with the powers you have. Your families are dead, simple as that; there's nothing you can do about it, even if you tried."

Lies. Will's word was more valuable to her than the ones of this Eruki character. Safyra kept her poise, despite her growing rage. "My family would _rather_ be dead if I ever decided to join. I'm not going to give them that disrespect – and certainly I won't give _you_ that satisfaction."

The smirk stayed. "Very well, then," 'Xavier' whispered, "You will join, Child of the Waves. I promise you that."

Safyra spit at 'Xavier,' eyes nearly glowing red like 'his.' "Never. Just back off from my life."

'He' nodded slowly. "Alright," 'he' boomed, "You will be at peace, I promise you…" But then 'he' whispered so that only Safyra would hear him, "…For now."

With that, the red glow from his eyes didn't exist anymore, and the real Xavier tumbled to the ground in a heap.

But he didn't get up.

As much as she hated the guy, Safyra ran over and checked his neck, wrists, chest, anything for a pulse. He was deathly pale. His eyes…oh God…his eyes were glassed over. Horrified, she gasped, her one eye bugging out of its socket. "He's dead." She closed his eyes gently, and positioned him so that he was in a respectful pose for the dead, his hands crossed over his chest.

"I'm sorry, Xavier; despite what a bastard you were, I didn't want for you to be a victim in this, either," she whispered. Her hand reached into her coat pocket, and after cleaning up her eye with water she produced, she picked out an eye-patch and secured it over her head.

Getting up, she faced both the Hurricanes and Dusks. "Xavier is dead," she shouted, "The Hurricanes are victorious. As an honor, the Dusks must now disband and live normal lives within Acmetropolis. You can claim his body now."

Four Dusks did just that while the others ran back to the city, scared for their new lives.

She looked at the Hurricanes, who turned all their worried glances to her. "Well, now you know," she called, "I'm half-blind; if I am treated differently because of it, you are discharged for the Hurricanes. I handled this for a few years, now; I can handle it now. So no one asks questions and no one gets a beating." She turned her back on them, "I'm completely drained from what's happened today, so I'm regretfully unable to teleport you back. The Hurricanes will have to return home by foot. I know you can manage…C'mon, Chani."

The white wolf sent an apologetic group the gang before flying and picking up Safyra, this time bridal style, to head towards the Loonatic Tower.

15


End file.
